


Classic Doctor Who Whumptober 2020

by Lady_Sci_Fi



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (1963)
Genre: F/F, F/M, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-01
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:20:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 31
Words: 22,104
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26751997
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lady_Sci_Fi/pseuds/Lady_Sci_Fi
Summary: 31 stories of pain and angst for various Classic Who characters.
Relationships: Ben Jackson/Polly Wright, Fourth Doctor/Sarah Jane Smith, John Benton/Mike Yates, Second Doctor/Jamie McCrimmon
Comments: 22
Kudos: 52





	1. Hanging- Eighth Doctor

**Author's Note:**

> 2018 Collection- archiveofourown.org/works/16235009/chapters/37952189  
> 2019 Collection- archiveofourown.org/works/20853236/chapters/49570073

The Doctor shuddered as the executioner behind him slipped the thick rope noose over his head. It was tightened, the rough material pulling at his long hair and scratching the skin of his neck.

The sentence of execution had been announced only an hour earlier, while he had been sitting in a prison cell. If only they would listen to him when he said he wasn’t the criminal they were looking for. But his unfortunate habit of being seen in the wrong place at the wrong time had again gotten him into trouble.

“Any last words, Doctor?” asked the person in charge of this.

“I’ve said all there is to say. You haven’t believed me. You haven’t listened to me.”

“Because you are lying!” Their shout was accompanied by mostly wordless ones from the large assembled crowd.

The Timelord simply sighed and closed his eyes. “Then I have nothing left to say. Go ahead.” But he hadn’t resigned himself to this fate. Besides, what would they do when he regenerated after his death? No, he would not die here. At least, not if he pulled this off correctly. It would be painful, but he wouldn’t die.

The Doctor opened his eyes, watching the person on the podium for what would certainly be the signal.

Without any warning, the executioner kicked out the small stool from under the Doctor’s feet. Thankfully, the resulting jerk was short, only a couple inches, not intended for breaking the victim’s neck. It seemed they wanted their victims to suffer through slow strangulation.

The rope dug into the Doctor’s throat, no way for him to relieve the pressure with his feet dangling inches above the platform.

Despite his earlier mental preparations, he had to fight back the panic. He’d been counting on a visual signal, and without that…

He struggled to breathe, needing a few more precious lungfuls of air. His feet kicked out slightly with the effort and the pain. His hands tied in front of him grabbed and twisted his shirt.

“What happened to your calm accepting demeanor, Doctor?” the person on the podium taunted.

Spots began to swim in his vision. He didn’t have long before he lost consciousness, and possibly this life. He couldn’t get any more air in, and could only hope he had enough needed to survive.

Not long after, his body completely stilled, his eyes closed, and he couldn’t feel anything any more. He simply hung there, body slightly swaying in the breeze.

********

The Doctor’s eyes shot open, and he immediately began sucking in hard breaths. His panicked motions made him fall off the small bed and down to the floor. He grunted at the impact to his shoulder and hip.

He shivered at the coldness of the floor, realizing he was naked. But he simply laid there for some moments, focusing on breathing and regaining his strength.

“Right, clothes…” His voice came out hoarse and quiet. He pushed himself up to shaky feet. It took him another moment to get his senses to register properly to figure out where he was. Morgue. “Not the first time…”

Thankfully, he quickly found his clothes not far, and dressed. He left the cold storage room and looked for a way out the morgue proper.

On his way out, he stopped at a half-mirror on the wall. He raised his chin to see his neck, and grimaced. The thick deep purple bruise wrapped around his throat. Small raw breaks in the skin dotted it, made by the rough material of the rope. He gingerly raised his fingers to the edges, still feeling the residual severe aching pain in his skin and muscles. 

“Certainly a mark.” He wondered how long his voice would also be affected.

Then he urgently found his way out, not wanting to be found and possibly executed again.


	2. “Pick Who Dies”  Fifth Doctor, Tegan Jovanka/Nyssa of Traken

“…ake up! Doctor, wake up, please!”

The Doctor jolted awake at the familiar cries. His head snapped up to see Tegan and Nyssa. They were tied to chairs side-by-side, arms secured to the armrests, only two meters in front of him.

He tried to go to them, but couldn’t. He looked down at himself to discover he was also tied to a chair. He shook his body to test the restraints, and sighed. He wouldn’t be getting out of it anytime soon.

The Doctor refocused on his two friends. “Are you alright?”

Nyssa nodded, and Tegan opened her mouth to answer. But another voice called out, “They are unharmed. For the moment.”

Four people stepped in through a doorway.

“Ah, I presume you’re the cause of our current predicament?” the Doctor asked in greeting.

The leader smiled. “I am Garmlu.”

“I don’t care what your name is. Untie us, now!” Tegan responded.

Garmlu shook his head. “You’re in this position for a reason.” He went to stand behind the two women. Two of the others stood on either side of him, and one went behind the Doctor. Garmlu assured, “They are only there if you resist too much.”

“Comforting,” the Doctor snorted.

“What’s this all about?” asked Nyssa.

“Very simple. The Doctor will choose which of you is to die.”

All three captives shouted out “What?” in unison. Then the litany of protests and trying to escape their bonds started.

Garmlu quieted them all with a shouted “Silence! Or you all will die.” Once they all had, he took out a small knife from his belt, and pressed a button. The edge glowed red.

The Doctor’s eyes widened, and Tegan and Nyssa, who couldn’t see the unsheathed weapon, tried to turn around to see the other man.

The Doctor glared at him. “You honestly want me to choose one of my friends for you to kill?”

“Yes.”

“You can’t be serious!” Tegan shouted.

“Why?” Nyssa questioned. Her hand nearest Tegan tried to reach out to hers, even if it could only get a flicker of touch. But they were too far apart for the ropes to allow that much.

“Out of the question.” The Doctor aggressively shook his head. “They are both dear to me. What you’re asking is cruel and unnecessary. Let us go.”

“You must choose, Doctor.” Garmlu twirled the blade around in his hand.

“And I have told you no.” The Doctor shook in the chair to try to break the bonds again. He’d already lost one young friend, and he refused to lose another one, especially like this. “If there’s something you want with me, release them, and I’ll consider it.”

Garmlu shook his head.

“I can’t choose. I won’t. How can you expect me to? Not to mention the other left alive wouldn’t forgive me.”

“Damn right I wouldn’t,” Tegan stated. “But Nyssa would be more willing to, eventually.”

“Tegan-“ Nyssa started.

“And she wouldn’t give you as hard a time after,” Tegan continued.

“Tegan, no,” Nyssa turned her head to look at the other woman, knowing what she was trying to do. “I’ve already lost…” She cleared her throat, and looked to the Doctor. “Doctor, if you must, then choose me.”

“But, Nyssa-“

Tegan’s protest was cut off by another shouted, “Silence!” from Garmlu.

“I want them to both live. What do I do to get that result?”

Garmlu sighed. “Very well, Doctor.” He signaled to the other man beside Tegan, who took at another energy knife.

Tegan and Nyssa could sense what was happening behind them. They stared at each other, wishing they could hold hands in this moment.

The Doctor shouted wordlessly and rocked in his chair again. He nearly succeeded in tipping it over, but the man guarding him made certain it didn’t.

Garmlu and the other one raised their blades above the trembling pair.

“I love you,” both women whimpered to each other.

“Let them live! Whatever it takes, please!” the Doctor screamed. “Give me a way!” 

Then, Garmlu smiled at him and lowered his blade. The other man did the same. The Doctor was caught off-guard by this. “I’ve gotten enough. Cut them loose.”

The two women flinched as the men next to them used their knives to cut the ropes around their arms and torsos. The instant they were free, they clung to each other.

The Doctor rushed and kneeled next to them once he was cut loose. “You’re alright?” At their nods, he glared up to Garmlu.

“We never intended to harm them.”

“Making them fear for their, and each other’s, lives was harm enough.”

“I apologize, but I had to test your character.”

“You mean this was all some dirty trick?” asked Tegan, running a hand down the back of Nyssa’s head.

“A test. I got the results I hoped for. Now, I need your help, the three of you.”


	3. Forced to Their Knees- Sixth Doctor, Peri Brown

“You are a proud one, aren’t you?” said the canine-like man in front of the Doctor.

Both the Timelord and Peri were standing on small circular platform across from each other, their hands cuffed together in front of them. The cuffs were connected to the floor, stopping them from going anywhere. They were awaiting their ‘judgment.’ For what, neither actually knew.

“Look, Rago, we-“ the Doctor started.

“I did not say to speak,” Raga stated.

Peri glared at the Doctor to be quiet and not make whatever this was any worse for them. He simply raised his brow at her.

Rago circled around the Doctor. “Quite proud, indeed.”

“Is that a crime?” the Doctor retorted.

Rago didn’t scold him for talking this time. He pulled a short blade from his belt, and made a show of twirling it in his hand.

The Doctor sighed and rolled his eyes. “Trying to intimidate us?”

Rago’s gaze snapped to the Doctor’s. He pounced forward, the edge of the blade against the Doctor’s throat within a second.

“Doctor!” Peri cried out. “Don’t hurt him!”

The Doctor flinched at the unexpected sudden action, but managed to stay still enough.

“On your knees,” Rago commanded.

The Doctor snorted. “You want me on my knees? Why?”

Rago pressed the blade harder, not enough to puncture the skin, but definitely enough to be easily able to when he wanted. “Does not matter. On your knees, Doctor.”

The Doctor gingerly shook his head. “I doubt killing me is part of your judgment.”

“But you do not know if that is true.”

“Doctor-“

“I’m fine, Peri.” The Doctor kept his gaze locked with Rago’s. “You could kick me down to my knees.”

“But that would defeat the purpose.”

“What purpose?”

Rago chuckled and withdrew the blade. “You have little fear for your life.”

“Until you give me good reason to be, I see little point in being afraid.”

Rago took a step back from the Doctor, and turned to Peri. “Do you fear for his life, Peri?”

Peri froze, unsure how to answer. Yes or no could both be bad.

“Don’t worry, it is natural to be concerned for a friend’s life.”

“No, I know that. I am.”

“What does he mean to you?”

Behind Rago, the Doctor snorted. “What kind of physiological tricks are you trying to play?” 

Rago ignored him. “Answer the question.”

“A lot.”

Rago nodded. “A fair enough answer. I don’t need details.” He tilted his head and considered her a moment. Then, as suddenly as he had before, he pounced at her and held the blade to her throat.

“Peri!” The Doctor tried to rush forward, but couldn’t make more than one step.

“What do you think you mean to him?” Rago near-whispered in her ear, still loud enough to be heard by the Doctor.

“Don’t you dare!” the Timelord hissed.

Rago slipped around behind Peri, unnecessarily holding her still around the waist. “Do you think he’ll at least get on his knees for you?” He pressed the blade to her skin a little more.

Peri kept her eyes on the Doctor, not wanting to risk trying to turn her head to look at Rago.

There was no question of that, of course. The Doctor cared for Peri, and while he could be flippant about such threats to himself, he couldn’t when they were aimed at her. He didn’t want to test Rago’s resolve, not when he didn’t know the rules of this situation.

“You know what I want from you, Doctor.”

The Doctor slowly sank to his knees. He glared up to the other man. “Satisfied?”

Rago removed the blade from Peri’s throat and stepped towards the Doctor. “Yes.” He ran the blade along the Doctor’s jawline. “For now.”


	4. Buried Alive- Fourth Doctor/Sarah Jane Smith

“You can’t do this! Stop! Let us out!” Sarah banged at the clear material not far above her head. Her panic rose as dirt began to fall on them, obscuring the sky above. “Please!”

“Sarah, Sarah stop. Save your strength,” the Doctor quietly said, laying in the large coffin beside her.

Sarah looked at him in disbelief. “Save my strength? For what? If we don’t break out of here now-“

“We’ll only be put in another box and buried again.”

“So what, we just lay here and accept it?” She flinched as another bunch of dirt hit the top of the coffin.

“Save your strength, and your breath,” the Doctor instructed. He grabbed her hand she again raised it to bang above her. “Sarah.”

Sarah looked to him, the fear still very evident on her face.

“Trust me.”

Sarah closed her eyes to stop herself from looking up again. She knew she should listen to him, knew there was only a set amount of oxygen in here for them. But that was getting more difficult with every piece of dirt that rained down from above them, trapping them under the ground.

“We’re together,” the Doctor stated. He squeezed her hand in assurance. “We’ll get out of here.”

Sarah’s eyes closed tightly at another ping of dirt. She entwined her fingers with the Doctor’s, trying to focus on anything other than being buried alive.

Finally, the sounds stopped. Sarah opened her eyes and looked up, though that was useless, since they were now in complete darkness. “Doctor!”

“I’m here, Sarah.” The Timelord rolled over towards her and threw his arm over her middle. He grunted as his hand hit the opposite wall. After a quick adjustment, he propped himself up over her. Their breaths mingled together.

“We need to conserve our air,” the Doctor stated.

Sarah caught on. “Trance?” It had helped them when they had dealt with the Zygons. She felt the Doctor’s nod.

The Doctor gently lowered his forehead to hers. Sarah gripped his upper arms, the panic of being in this situation rising again. Her breaths quickened. She was going to die down here. The Doctor’s trance could only last so long before her body gave up and needed to breathe. She would slowly suffocate to death. And what about the Doctor? Surely his body would give up, too. And he would keep regenerating, only to keep suffocating and dying…

“No, no, Sarah.” His hand moved to tenderly stroke her cheek. “Listen to me… Feel me…”

Sarah did her best to relax. Her body still shivered.

“Focus on me… on us…”

********

Sarah shivered as she awakened. Her inhales were quick and panicked as she was still encased in total blackness. Wait… was that dirt on her arm?

“Stay calm, Sarah. I’ve made a hole.”

“But, what if…” Sarah bit her lip to prevent voicing the anxious concern. No doubt the Doctor would’ve already considered if the dirt came pouring in instead of the slow trickle she heard.

“It won’t be pleasant,” the Doctor warned. “I needed you awake now. When I tell you to hold your breath, do it.”

Sarah closed her eyes for a few seconds to steel herself for being buried by the dirt when they fully opened the casket.


	5. Failed Escape- Ben Jackson/Polly Wright

“Nearly there, I think!” Ben said as encouragement as he and Polly ran through the large corridor.

Polly nodded, forcing her legs to go faster. They joined hands as the corridor emerged into an open outside area. Across it was a tall fence that they would have to scale, but after that, it looked like they would be free.

“Stop right there!” shouted a voice from behind them, accompanied by several pairs of footsteps.

But they didn’t obey, and reached the fence. Ben jumped at it, and started climbing. Polly only got her hand on before she yelped in pain at the large hand that grabbed and yanked her back by her hair. Ben looked down, and quickly found himself on the ground as a guard jumped up and seized the back of his shirt to get him off.

Ben shot up to his feet to get to Polly, that guard’s hand still in her hair as she sat on the ground. “Let go of her!”

“That’s enough! Bring them to the discipline chamber.”

The guard holding Polly pulled her up to her feet and switched from grasping her hair to both of her arms. Ben was marched along beside her in the same manner. They didn’t put up more than a token struggle, knowing that even if they got free of the strong grips, there were too many of them to try for the fence again.

A few minutes later, they were in a large curved-walled room. The guards pushed them into the center and let them go. Polly shuddered at the closed closets that lined the walls, wondering what could be in them. Ben kept an eye on the guards, trying to read their intentions. Couldn’t be good, this being the discipline chamber.

They only had to wait a minute for someone else to enter. Lodar, the man in charge of this place. Ben and Polly had met him after they had been captured. “Where do you think you were going?” he asked the pair.

“Would think that obvious enough,” Ben retorted.

Lodar smirked and shook his head. “Attempted escape carries serious punishment if caught.”

“We’re sorry. We won’t try it again,” Polly quickly. “Let us off easy for the first attempt?” It wasn’t true, because of course they would try again, but hopefully he would accept it.

Lodar shook his head. “No special treatment.” He stepped towards them, and circled around them. “We’ll catch your Doctor and Jamie soon enough, and you’ll all be reunited here. But, in the meantime… you need to be discouraged and disciplined.” He moved away from them to the guards. “Him. You may use three sticks if you wish.” He then leaned back against the wall.

“Him?” Polly grabbed Ben’s hand and stepped in front of him. “Whatever that means, don’t, please.”

“Polly-“ Ben started.

Two of the guards grabbed Polly and easily yanked her away from Ben. They pulled her to near Lodar, and faced her to Ben so she could see the punishment. She cried out his name as the guards stood around him.

One guard went to a closet, and took out three short staffs. Each were tipped with what looked like metal at both ends. Now three of the seven guards were armed with it.

Polly again fruitlessly tried to wrench herself free. “Ben!”

Ben was helpless as they descended on him, one guard wrenching his arms behind his back and holding him in place. The first strike came from a fist, straight across his face. The next, a jab to his stomach with the end of a stick, making him double over. The third, a swing up with a stick to his chest. He lost track after that, between the numerous punches and kicks and strikes with the sticks.

“Ben! Please, stop it! Ben!” Polly cried out over the man’s cries of pain.

Lodar looked to her. “Actions have consequences.” He resumed watching the savage beating.

Polly could barely see Ben now, tears blurring her vision.

A few minutes later, Lodar commanded, “Stop!”

The guards did so and stepped away, leaving the man trembling curled up on the floor.

“Let me go to him!” Polly shouted.

Lodar ignored her as he went over to Ben. Ben could do nothing, could barely open one eye. Blood ran from his nose and open mouth. His arms were wrapped around himself loosely, the useless attempt to protect himself when they’d let him fall to the floor. Everything hurt very badly. He could barely move. “P-Poll…”

Ben flinched at the pair of heavy boots that stopped only a couple inches from his face. He moved his hand to weakly try to push them away.

Lodar stared down at him for a moment, then moved one foot to get the toe under Ben’s cheek. Ben feebly wordlessly protested, his hand doing nothing to prevent this possible further punishment.

Lodar lifted Ben’s head a few inches with his foot, and swiftly withdrew it to let it limply hit the floor. All the prisoner could do was groan at the pain. “Satisfactory,” he concluded. He turned back to Polly and the guards. “Return them. Separate cells this time.”

“No, let us be together!”

Two guards grabbed Ben’s wrists and ankles to pick him up between them.

The couple were taken back to the cells they had earlier escaped from. They shoved Polly into one, and carelessly tossed Ben into the one across from her. Ben barely moved from the position he had landed, mostly on his front, face to the door that closed.

“Ben?” Polly’s hands wrapped around the bars as she looked across to him. Lodar could’ve at least let them be together, let her take care of him. They’d been in the same cell before. But this was another way to discourage escape. “Ben?”

Ben only slightly moved, turning a little more onto his side. He half-opened his less hurt eye to see Polly’s concerned face staring back at him across the short distance. “P-Polly…”

“Oh, Ben, I’m sorry.”

Ben shook his head, and hissed at the pain it caused. He considered crawling up on the bed he knew was behind him, but decided it wasn’t worth it. All he could do was lay there. He slowly inched his arm out, reaching for Polly. “Be f-fine, Duchess…” His eyes closed again.


	6. “Get it Out”- Harry Sullivan, Sarah Jane Smith

“That looks like something over there,” Harry said to Sarah as the pair walked through the field. The Doctor had told them to head this way to get something he needed back in the city. He suddenly hissed in pain as the back of his hand and forearm brushed along one of the bushes.

“Harry?” Sarah immediately turned to him at the additional distressed sounds.

Harry turned away from her and stepped back from the harmful bushes. His injured hand and arm shook, and he fought back the instinct to clutch at it.

“Harry, stop, let me see.”

Harry shook his head, and once they were a safe enough distance away from those bushes he finally stopped backing up and heavily sat on the ground. He exhaled heavily through his teeth. “Something got me.”

Sarah glanced around, assuming he meant some sort of animal in the foliage.

“No, the bush itself, I think.” He raised his hand up to his eyes to see the damage. He could see the tiny red pricks of blood before he saw the numerous things protruding from his skin. They were translucent, almost completely clear, very thin, and short. “Some sort of spines.” He sucked in another breath to help with the intense pain.

Sarah kneeled beside him to get a look herself.

“Be careful!” Harry hissed in warning.

“What can I do?”

“Get it out.” The pain spiked as something, quite possibly the gentle breeze, disturbed the spines. “Get them out!”

Sarah gingerly took Harry’s arm to pull it closer to her. The movement seemed to also hurt her friend. “Just try to stay calm. I’ve got it.”

“Be careful,” Harry warned. “Don’t get one in you, too. They do hurt quite badly.” He sighed as Sarah positioned her fingers to take one out. “Of all the things, a bush.”

Sarah held back the chuckle, in case that motion messed up her necessary precision. She got one in a pinch, and tried to pull it out quickly. Harry yelped and yanked his arm away from her, causing himself more pain from the movement.

“Harry, I can’t get them out if you don’t stay still.”

“No, it’s not that.” Harry extended his arm out to her again. “I think they’re stuck, like with a hook or barb.”

“Ah… the slow route, then?” Sarah positioned her fingers over a different spine.

Harry’s legs squirmed as Sarah slowly pulled at the spine, and when it got to the stuck part, he bit his lip to stop from pulling away again. “Why did I join you two for another round of adventures?”

“No idea. Perhaps you’ve accepted the madness.”

“Perhaps.” He hissed again. “Wait, wait! Too much… Alright, keep going.”

Hopefully, she could maneuver them all out. He really didn’t want to be stuck with these very painful things in his hand and arm any longer than a few more minutes.


	7. Carrying- Seventh Doctor, Ace McShane

Ace looked out over the area, decimated by some sort of energy weapon. “Doctor!” she called. “Professor?” He was here, she knew. Here, somewhere. Her calls mixed in with other names for other possible survivors from the other searchers.

She spotted a familiar colour and pattern, one that definitely didn’t match everything else. “Doctor!” She ran towards it, and half-smiled in relief that she was right. The Doctor was mostly face-down in the mud, grass, and other debris.

Ace slid to the Timelord’s side. She kept repeating his name as she felt his pulse in his writs and shook his shoulder. “Come on, wake up.”

But he didn’t. She glanced around to the others for help to get him to the large transport vehicles. They were all occupied with finding the others. She didn’t want to bother them and stop them from finding more injured people.

Ace looked down at the Doctor. She could handle it on her own well enough. “Right, then, come on.” She gingerly turned the Doctor over onto his back. She took a few seconds to wipe some of the mud and blood from his face.

Ace rose to a crouch, and pulled the Doctor up slightly by one wrist. It took a lot of her strength to get his limp form up enough to get it over her shoulders. “Easy does it,” she huffed. 

With the Doctor as stable as she was going to manage, her backpack helping with that by giving more surface area for him to be on, Ace got a leg up to stand. She slowly pushed herself up enough to get her other leg properly under her.

“You owe me a carry after this,” Ace said lightly. “And I don’t even need to get hurt for it. Got it?”

“Hey, need help?” asked one of the other searchers.

“No, got it, thanks,” Ace called back. She slipped in the mud, nearly falling backwards. She grunted as she managed to catch herself in time.

It wasn’t particularly fast going, with her having to navigate carefully and not lose her balance. But she made steady progress. “You could wake up now,” she grumbled. “Make this easier for me.”

When Ace got close enough to the transport vehicles, one of the drivers jumped out and ran to her.

“He alive?” he asked.

“Yeah. This is my friend, the Doctor.”

“Ah, good.” He moved to take the Doctor from her.

Ace shook her head. “I’ve got him. Make sure I don’t trip on anything?”

The driver nodded, and led her to the back of one of the trucks. Together, they carefully put him on one of the cots.

Ace stretched out her arms to relieve the ache in her shoulders from the effort. She looked down at her unconscious friend. “I meant what I said, Professor.” Then she heavily sat on the ground.


	8. “Don’t Say Goodbye”- Third Doctor, Jo Grant

The loud merry mood in the Wholeweal compound settled into a happy hum some time after the marriage announcement and gifting of the government research grant and impromptu party.

It brought back to Jo’s attention that someone wasn’t there with them all, and hadn’t been since the start of the party. “Oh, Doctor…” she muttered to herself. He’d really been hurt by her saying she was going to leave UNIT. At first she’d thought he’d simply needed a few minutes to himself. But now… well, he hadn’t returned yet.

She considered going outside to find him, but decided against it. It wouldn’t do to bother him while he was in a bad mood. Not that he would snap at her or anything, but still. Best to leave him be.

Jo smiled as she went on tiptoe to kiss Cliff’s cheek before moving off from him. She got another half-glass of wine and wandered through everyone. Her smile was genuine, but she did still worry about her missing friend.

She spotted Mike and Benton alone in a corridor, and decided to talk to them. She stopped halfway there, the pair looking like they were having an almost-silent intense conversation. It ended when Mike nodded to Benton, and Benton smiled back, patting Mike’s forearm before he turned and left him.

“Congrats again, Jo,” Benton beamed as he passed her.

Jo nodded, and went over to Mike, who smiled gently at her. “Jo Grant, or should I say Jones?” He teased.

“Oh, stop it. I’m not married yet,” Jo chuckled. She looked down to her drink. To distract herself from her thoughts, she asked, “What was that with Benton?”

“Just checking on each other.” He slightly tilted his head at her. “Something bothering you?”

Jo shrugged. “Just the Doctor. I saw him leave as the party got started. He hasn’t come back yet.”

“Ah… You know him. I’m sure he’ll be back soon enough.”

“Sorry, I just… get worried about him.” Jo sighed. “What if he doesn’t come back tonight? What if… if he doesn’t say goodbye to me?” She quickly added, “I mean, I still have to take some things home from HQ, so I’ll certainly see him there, but…”

Mike made a little tutting sound. “Him, not say goodbye to you? I can’t imagine.”

“Me neither. But what if he’s too upset to talk to me or even see me?”

Mike gave a small assuring smile. “I wouldn’t worry too much about it.” His face fell as he breathed.

“You okay?”

Mike cleared his throat. “Yes, sorry. I just… haven’t had a good day. And with you leaving us…” He patted her shoulder. “We’ll all miss you. You will say a proper goodbye to us?”

“Of course I will!” Jo pulled him into a brief one-armed hug.

********

“Doctor?” Jo burst into the Timelord’s lab at UNIT HQ. “Doctor?” She didn’t have much time before she had to leave. “Doctor, are you here?” She glanced to the Tardis, and hurried over to knock on the closed door. “Doctor?”

“Hello, Jo.”

Jo spun to see the man in question leaning against the lab’s doorway. “There you are. I’m gathering my things and saying goodbye to everyone. You’re the only one left on my list.”

The Doctor nodded. There was no mistaking the hint of sadness in the motion. “I apologize for leaving the party a couple days ago.”

“No, no. It was fine. I mean, I missed you, but I understand.” Jo looked down at her feet. “You’ll be alright without me?”

“I’ll manage.”

Jo couldn’t stand it. She dropped her bag and rushed to him. She hugged him tightly.

“Don’t say goodbye, Jo.” The Doctor returned the embrace.

“What?” She looked up at him in confusion.

“Don’t say it. I’m not fond of them.”

“Oh… I see…” She wanted to say it, wanted to hear him say it. But if it would hurt him too much…

The Doctor released his embrace and held Jo away from him. “So, I won’t say it, either.” He cleared his throat. “Go on. Do well in your adventures.”

“I’ll see you again?”

The Doctor let go of her shoulders. “We’ll see. Now go on.”

Jo nodded, holding back the sniffle. She picked up her bag and slowly walked past her friend. It didn’t feel right, leaving UNIT and not saying goodbye to him. But she would respect his wish.

She got halfway down the corridor before turning to get another look at him. But he had retreated into the lab, not giving her a chance to say anything more to him. “Don’t say goodbye,” she whispered to herself. With that heavy in her heart, she left.


	9. “Take Me Instead”- Sixth Doctor, Peri Brown

“No, wait!” Peri cried, running towards the group of people taking the Doctor away down a dimly-lit and dingy corridor. Someone grabbed out to catch her, but she broke free and continued on. “Wait! Don’t take him!” They were taking him down somewhere very dangerous to work, a place where there wouldn’t be much hope for him to escape and get them out of here. That couldn’t happen.

She caught up to them as they turned to her. She grabbed onto the Doctor’s prison-worker uniform. “Take me instead!” The Timelord would have more access to resources if he stayed where it was safer.

“Peri, no,” the Doctor refuted.

“Why should we switch him with you?” the warden asked.

“You shouldn’t,” the Doctor responded. “It’s quite dangerous down there, you said. I’m more fit for it.”

Peri tugged on her friend’s sleeve. “Doctor, please-“

“I won’t allow it, Peri. It’s too-“

“Dangerous?” Peri let out a short humourless chuckle. “Any more than other things we’ve been through?”

“Possibly?”

“I can handle it.”

“Peri-“

Peri looked to the warden. “He’d be more useful to you up here. He really would be. I don’t have those special skills he does.”

“Don’t listen to her,” the Doctor countered. “She’s upset about us being separated.”

“Is what she says true?” the warden asked. “We will allow you to be switched in duties.”

Peri tugged hard on the Doctor’s shirt, and his gaze met hers. Without words, she pleaded with him to accept the offer. She could handle whatever dangers there were, as long as he didn’t take too long in figuring out an escape plan. But if the Doctor let his desire to immediately protect her get in the way, they might both be doomed.

“Well?” the warden prompted. “Which of you is it? One of you must come with us.”

The Doctor opened his mouth to answer, and Peri again pulled on him. The man’s shoulders slumped slightly as he nodded to her. “She will.” He pulled her into a one-armed embrace. “Oh, Peri… you are brave. Stay as safe as you can.”

Peri hugged him back, squeezing tightly. “I will.”

“Alright, lovebirds, that’s enough. We’ve wasted enough time.” The warden grabbed Peri’s wrist and tugged her.

The pair willingly let go, not wanting to annoy the warden and guards any more than necessary. As Peri was led down the corridor, she kept looking back to the Doctor, hoping it wouldn’t be the last time she saw him.


	10. Trail of Blood-  Fourth Doctor, Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart

Alistair groaned as he groggily awakened, finding himself on rocky grassy ground. He pushed himself halfway up and looked around. “Doctor?” he called out when he didn’t see the other man anywhere nearby.

Alistair sat up fully. “Doctor?” Still no response. “Where have you gone?”

He quickly got to his feet, swaying slightly at the disorienting sensation that brought. He shook his head to make it go away. He needed a clue, something to tell him which way the Doctor had gone. It must’ve been urgent for him to not revive Alistair before he left him. He must’ve spotted the alien creature they were after.

Something on the ground a couple meters ahead caught Alistair’s eye. A splash of dark red on the grass. He rushed to it, and kneeled down. It looked like blood, and he tentatively touched it. It felt like blood.

“Oh, Doctor… what have you gotten yourself into this time?” he muttered.

He spotted another splash of blood not far ahead, and hurried to it. He saw another, then another. A proper trail, it looked like. The Doctor must really have gotten hurt.

The blood spots turned to smears, like the Doctor had fallen and been dragged. There was certainly enough of it on the ground to become very concerned. “Doctor!”

Alistair stopped at a tree trunk, a bloody handprint half-smeared across the bark, indicating the Doctor had gotten up for a moment. But the trail continued on the ground, meaning the creature must’ve dragged him again. “Doctor! Where are you?”

He kept following the trail, wondering how much blood a Timelord could lose. More than a Human, he hoped. “Doctor!”

The trail led him around a small clearing, and towards a rock overhang. “Doctor?” He abandoned the trail to investigate the overhang. He swore when he found nothing there, not even any blood.

Alistair went back to the trail to continue following it. It went on through the clearing. Crimson smears. If that creature had given the Doctor this much trouble, Alistair doubted his chances if he encountered it by himself.

“Doctor!”

It took another minute, but then Alistair spotted the end of that ridiculous scarf near another smear of blood ahead. “Doctor!” He ran to him, his friend’s limp form coming into view.

Alistair dropped to his knees beside the Doctor, sparing a couple seconds to look around for any danger. At the lack of any obvious threat, he focused on the Timelord.

The Doctor was curled up on his side, one arm loosely around his middle. His eyes were closed, and breathing laboured in his unconsciousness.

Alistair gently turned him over onto his back. His eyes widened at the large open gashes on the Doctor’s leg and side. “Doctor!” he hissed, not wanting to be too loud in case the creature was still nearby. “Thank goodness,” he whispered at the answering tiny groan from the other man.

“Bri… Brigad-dier?”

“I’m here.” Alistair pressed the Doctor’s jacket to the wound on his side.

The Doctor hissed and curled up tighter at the painful pressure. “Dangerous crea… creature…” He blindly reached out and weakly gripped at Alistair’s leg. “Don’t go… alone…”

“Wasn’t going to. I’m not leaving you here like this.”


	11. Crying- Second Doctor/Jamie McCrimmon

Jamie pounded on the clear material of the thick window. “Doctor! No! Please!” He spun to the people in the room with him, the people stopping him from going in to save the Doctor. “Please! Let him out! Don’t kill him!”

Jamie tried for the locked door again, but the giant of a man guarding it easily shoved him back. “Please!” He banged on the window again. The Timelord was struggling to breathe as the blue gas filled the room. He clawed around his neck and collar as his body began to convulse.

“Doctor!” Jamie switched to outright punching at the window. He barely felt the pain of the impacts, only caring about finding some way to the other man. “Doctor!” A large lump formed in Jamie’s throat as the Doctor’s eyes met his. Jamie saw, rather than heard, his name said.

Jamie blinked away the welling tears, needing to clearly see him through this. Let the Doctor know he was here, no matter what. That he was doing whatever he could to try to save him. “Doctor…” This time, the name came out raw and quieter. “Doctor, please…” His sounded broken. All he could do was watch as the Doctor’s strength slowly gave out, his view becoming gradually more obscured by the blue gas. “No…” He punched the window again. “Doctor, please… I love you…”

And then, the Doctor’s eyes closed as his body went completely limp and his fully collapsed to the floor.

“Doctor!” Jamie screamed. He let out another scream, a wordless venting of anger and grief. Exhausted, he fell to his knees. He shouted again, this time at the physical pain catching up to him. His hands throbbed in agony from striking the window hard countless times. The knuckles bled, but he barely saw the red on his hands due to the tears blurring his vision.

“How could you?” Jamie shouted at the other people in the room. The ones who had ordered and carried this out. He looked up at them, seething in fury. “How could you?” he repeated, his voice quietly breaking.

He brought his knees up to hug them tightly, curling in on himself as he let his tears fall.

A minute later, they opened the door to the gas chamber and dragged the Doctor out. Jamie sprang into action, shoving them away from him. He couldn’t take them touching him any more, possibly hurting him more.

Two of the guards grabbed him and dragged him back. But the one in charge said, “Let him be with him. We won’t be completely cruel.”

Jamie pounced forward the second he was released. He quickly gathered the Doctor into his lap and held him tightly, ignoring the pain in his hands. “Doctor…?” he whispered. He didn’t feel any breathing, didn’t feel that alien but familiar heartsbeat. “Doctor?” he repeated in disbelief. “Please…?”

But there as no response. Jamie’s tears fell down to the other’s still face. He sobbed, and that opened the floodgates. He gently caressed the Doctor’s cheek. “… love you…”

He pressed his forehead to the Doctor’s and closed his eyes, nothing left to do now but cry.


	12. Broken Trust- Seventh Doctor, Ace McShane

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Relates to "The Curse of Fenric"

_Emotional cripple. Social misfit. Why would I have ever chosen her? Stupid. Burden._

The words, the Doctor’s and her own, kept bouncing around in her head. Ace groaned and brought her knees up to her chest.

“Ace?” The Doctor’s voice accompanied the knock at her bedroom door.

Ace looked up, but didn’t make any movements to get off her bed. “What is it?”

“May I come in?”

“What for?”

“I haven’t seen you all day. I’m concerned.”

“Oh, now he’s concerned,” Ace muttered. To the Timelord, she called out, “Fine.”

The Doctor tentatively opened the door, and aimed a small smile to the girl. “Nice to see you.”

“Guess so.”

“Ace, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing. Doesn’t matter. You’ve seen me, now could you go away?”

“I take it you don’t want to talk about it?”

“What’s it matter to you?”

The Doctor sighed. “Ace, holding it in won’t help.”

“Maybe not, but I’d rather do that than talk to you.” Ace’s gaze moved down to the blanket so he wouldn’t see her starting to cry. “Not after the things you said to me.”

The Doctor’s face fell. “Ah, I see.” He took a few steps towards her. “You know why I did that.”

“I know, I know, you couldn’t defeat it with me believing in you. But it still hurts. Anyone else saying those things? Fine. But you?”

“I’m sorry.”

Ace’s head shot up again. “Does it matter to you?”

“What specifically?”

“Trust.”

The Doctor sat on the edge of the bed. “Of course that matters to me.”

“Because you didn’t seem to have much trouble saying those things. I know the reason, but you still broke my trust in you.”

“I’m truly sorry that I had to do it. I couldn’t figure out another way.”

Ace shook her head. “Do you … do you trust me?”

“Yes, with all my being.”

“I don’t know…” Ace considered not finishing the sentence. She didn’t want to hurt him, but she was in the mood to be completely honest with him. This was too important to hold it in any longer. “I don’t know if I can say that about you right now.” She didn’t look at him as she said it, unable to handle if he visibly expressed being upset.

The Doctor was quiet for a long moment. Then he softly said, “I suppose that’s fair.” He reached out to her, but stopped partway. “Do you want me to leave you alone?”

“If you could, for a bit. Just… give me time, I guess.”

“Alright.” The Doctor got up and went to the door. Before he left, he turned and said, “I do value you, Ace. Everything about you, including your trust.”

Ace nodded, and stared at the door as he left and closed it. Trust. How could she trust him, especially with her being? With how easily he could hurt her? The reason why didn’t matter. How much could she trust him not to hurt her like this again?


	13. Chemical Pneumonia- Fourth Doctor, Harry Sullivan

The Doctor jumped at the sudden loud pop sound and appearance of a thick white gas. “Harry?” he called out. “Harry!”

The gas was so thick he could barely see in front of him, much less across the clearing where he had last seen the other man. He started to choke, and the taste immediately told him what this was. “Don’t breathe it in!” Then he closed his mouth, and tried to listen for Harry.

Only a few seconds later, he heard intense coughing and choking. The Doctor hurried in that direction, and nearly tripped over his friend on his hands and knees.

Without a word, the Doctor picked him up to his feet and pulled him along by the hand. He could only hope the gas cloud didn’t take much bigger of an area around them. Harry stumbled as he half-ran and he tried to keep his mouth closed and one hand over his nose, to little avail. The chemicals were too much for him to focus on any one thing, much less all three. 

Finally, the pair burst out from the cloud. Harry collapsed to his knees right there, and the Doctor pulled him further away. Only once he knew it was safe, did he take a huge breath himself.

“Harry, Harry talk to me.” The Timelord dropped to his knees in front of the other man.

Harry shook his head. His hand around his neck clenched at his shirt collar. The Doctor quickly unbuttoned it and a few more down for good measure.

Harry shook his head again. “Hurts… Can’t…” He coughed hard. His fingernails scratched at his now-exposed collarbone and upper chest as his hand clenched and loosened with his struggled breaths.

The Doctor’s hand lightly rested on Harry’s back as he glanced around. “Whoever set that trap can’t be far. We should get going.”

Harry’s eyelids fluttered as he tried to gather his strength. But the effects of the gas had stripped it all from him, and he simply completely collapsed to the ground.

“No, no, Harry, come on.” The Doctor checked the other man’s pulse, gently swatting Harry’s hand out the way to do so.

“D-Doctor… Not g-good…” Breathing was so painful, and Harry considered trying not to for a few seconds, just to relieve that pain. But he did need oxygen, and his lungs refused to even make that attempt.

In an awkward series of motions, the Doctor picked Harry up in his arms, stood, and cradled him close. Harry’s breaths came out through whimpers and went in as gasps.

“Stay with me,” the Doctor said quietly, hurrying to where they had left Bessie.

He found the car a few minutes later. He gently placed Harry sitting up in the passenger’s side, then rushed around to the driver’s side. Once he had Harry settled as well as he could, he started the car and drove to the nearest hospital he could remember in the area.

********

The Doctor leaned back in the chair at Harry’s bedside. The poor man was unconscious and hooked up to a breathing machine.

He looked up at the sound of the room’s door opening. He smiled a little as Alistair and Sarah came in. They slowed and quieted at the sight of Harry in the bed.

“Oh, poor Harry…” Sarah said, going to his other side.

“How is he?” Alistair asked.

“They think he’ll be fine, given time to recover, of course. Pneumonia, chemically induced.”

Sarah looked up, her hands pressing one of Harry’s between them. “And you?”

“Benefits of a respiratory bypass system.”

“You did get checked out, yeah?” Sarah challenged.

“I did. Very little ill effects.” The Doctor looked to Harry again, watching him breathe for a moment. “Fortunate I got us out of there as quickly as I did. It’s quite a nasty trap, Brigadier.”


	14. Branding- Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart

“I yield! I yield!” Alistair shouted, hoping it would get the alien being off of his back and stop twisting his arm in a very painful manner. He wasn’t going to win this contest with a broken arm, certainly.

The alien woman got off him, and Alistair cradled his arm close as he glanced around the other aliens who had formed an impromptu ring around the pair. “Satisfied?” he asked, hoping the submission would be enough for them to let him go.

“You fight well,” one of them, the leader, Alistair presumed, complimented. He smiled slightly, showing sharp teeth. “But not well enough.”

Alistair cleared his throat. “Yes, well, now that that’s over with-“

The leader stepped forward, and the others began chanting wordlessly. Alistair suddenly felt very trapped in the middle of them all. The leader stated, “You are our captive now.”

Alistair grimaced. “I’m afraid that’s not acceptable.” He let out a groan of defeat as three of them seized him from behind. There was no way he was going to fight off three of them, let alone the twenty or so total, especially since he couldn’t defeat one in fair combat.

They half-dragged him over to where they had set up a fire near their spaceship and shoved him down to the ground to sit. They tied his hands behind his back and around a post, securing him effectively.

“Now you must be marked.”

“Marked? What do you mean, marked?” Alistair certainly did not like the sound of that.

The leader nudged at the end of a metal stick half in the fire.

Alistair’s eyes widened. “You can’t mean you’re going to…” He swallowed heavily.

The leader lifted his sleeve to show a circular patterned burn on his skin. “All warriors captured and defeated by a person of another clan must be marked.”

“But I’m not part of your society!” But his protest didn’t seem to matter to these people.

“Lower right leg would be a good place for it.”

“Don’t you dare!” Alistair hissed, struggling to fold his legs underneath him. The effort didn’t matter either, as three of the aliens pulled his right leg out and pushed the trouser leg up to his knee. Two held him back against the post, not that he could escape that anyway. The third pinned his leg to the ground by his ankle. A fourth held down his other leg to stop him from kicking.

Alistair could see the smoke emanating from the brand, a V shape with a semi-circle underneath it, as the leader picked it up out of the fire. “Y-you really don’t have to do this.”

“It is our custom.” The leader approached him.

“Not my custom!” But Alistair could do nothing, and he closed his eyes tightly.

He clenched his jaw together as hard as he could, but his attempt at composure completely broke as the red-hot brand touched the outside of his calf. He yelled and thrashed and squirmed, the smell of his own burning flesh overwhelming everything except the intense and searing agony.

Despite all his movements, the leader kept the brand still, pressing against his skin.

Finally, the brand was pulled away, but the intense flaring pain stayed for several seconds after. Alistair’s body shook as it slowly dissipated to something barely more tolerable. His head dropped to his chest and he breathed raggedly. He made the mistake of opening his eyes, and immediately felt sick to his stomach at the sight of the burned-in mark on his calf. He quickly averted his gaze to the ground to his side.

No doubt this would be permanent. That was the point of branding something. He didn’t even care what it symbolized. All that mattered was that he would be stuck with this thing.

All Alistair could do was sit there, trying this hardest to breathe through the lingering pain.

********

Alistair jolted awake at someone prodding his arm. He quickly saw why they had wakened him. The leader was coming with the Doctor behind him. “Doctor!” he called out, so relieved to see him, and hoped he was here as rescue instead of another captive.

“He is your warrior?” the leader asked when they stopped near Alistair.

“Yes, yes he is,” the Doctor responded without hesitation.

“Then we release him back to you.” The leader crouched down next to Alistair’s leg, and lifted the trouser covering the brand. “We marked him, because he lost to one of ours.”

The Doctor swallowed heavily. “I-I see…” He briefly ran his hand over his mouth.

The leader made a gesture, and the others untied their captive. Alistair pushed himself up to very shaky legs, and limped to his friend, unable to mask his winces of pain.

The Doctor put his arm around Alistair. “Come along.”

Each step sent intense bolts up his leg, and he clenched his teeth. Once far enough out of earshot of the alien camp, he asked, “Aren’t we going to…” He swallowed past another wave of nausea. “To take care of them?”

“All in good time. We’ve set up a perimeter to stop others accidentally encountering them.” The Doctor stopped and looked to his friend. “I’m carrying you.”

“Wait, I can walk. I-“ He sighed as the Doctor swiftly picked him up in his arms, bridal-style. He clenched the front of the Doctor’s shirt as the Timelord’s arm accidentally brushed across the brand.

“Sorry, old chap. I’ll be careful.” The Doctor took a couple seconds to get used to the weight, and continued on. “Yates is in charge of the perimeter. Liz and Benton are in a truck not too far. I thought it best to be seen alone.”

Alistair nodded. With those concerns out of the way, he asked, “Do you… do you think this… this mark can be gotten rid of?”

“We’ll see.”


	15. Possession- Fifth Doctor, Tegan Jovanka/Nyssa

With no warning, the Doctor yanked Tegan away from Nyssa.

“Ow! What was that for?” Tegan protested, pulling her wrist from the man’s grasp.

“That isn’t Nyssa,” the Doctor explained. “Or rather, something’s taken her over.”

Tegan looked between the Timelord and the other woman. “Nyssa?”

Nyssa smiled, but it was nothing like her normal sweet smiles. “What gave me away?”

“Never you mind that. You’ve just exposed yourself.”

Tegan shuddered, remembering her time being taken over by the Mara. “Nyssa, can you hear us in there?”

“She can, not that it’ll do her any good.”

“What is it you want?” asked the Doctor.

Nyssa grinned again. “Never you mind that, Timelord.”

The Doctor stepped forward. “Get out of my friend. You won’t get many warnings.””

“She is a sweet one, isn’t she? Even-tempered, calm…” Nyssa tilted her head. “I want to make her do terrible things.”

Tegan’s eyes widened. “Don’t you dare! Leave her alone!”

“I wonder how she’ll react to them, knowing her hands and her face are doing them…”

“It wouldn’t be her, and she would know it,” Tegan countered.

Nyssa shrugged. “That doesn’t seem to matter in how they feel afterwards.”

“We won’t let you do anything of the sort,” the Doctor stated. “Especially not now that you’ve played your hand.”

Nyssa ignored the comment. “She really does love you,” she said to Tegan. “Don’t see why, being the loud abrasive inferior creature you are.”

The words stung a little. It was impossible for them not to with them being said in Nyssa’s voice. “Yeah, she does. What of it?”

“Making her hurt you… Now that’s a definite possibility.”

The Doctor stepped in front of Tegan. “Leave Nyssa, now.”

Nyssa spun around slowly. “No, don’t think I will. What could you offer in return?”

The Doctor straightened and looked Nyssa in the eyes. “Myself.”

Tegan saw the flicker of emotion in Nyssa’s face, her own emotion, she was certain. “Fight it,” she whispered.

Nyssa approached them, and circled around them, looking over the Doctor specifically. “I think you would be interesting and fun to be in. What terrible things could I make you do?”

The Doctor didn’t respond. He discreetly took Tegan’s hand. She allowed it, knowing he was thinking of something. Without warning, he started running, pulling Tegan along after him.

Tegan kept pace, and she heard Nyssa hot on their heels.

“Don’t try to escape me!” Nyssa shouted.

“What are we doing?” Tegan hissed to the Timelord. She nearly slipped as they turned a corner. She didn’t know where they were running to in this building.

“Just lock the door when I say to,” the Doctor whispered back. He skid to a stop in front of one room, and yanked the door open. He ran inside, letting go of Tegan’s hand. “Stay.”

Nyssa rounded the corner, and grinned as she saw the other two trapped. “You can’t run from me.”

The Doctor made a frustrated sound as he spun to face her, and sighed, “No, I suppose not.”

“You offer yourself. I think I’ll take it.” Nyssa’s eyes flashed bright green for a second, then an entity shot from her to the Doctor.

“Now!” the Doctor shouted.

Tegan slammed the door shut and locked it. Then she turned to Nyssa, who simply stared ahead. “Nyssa?”

Nyssa flinched, and looked to Tegan. “Tegan? I-I’m alright, I think.”

“Oh, thank goodness.” Tegan pulled the other woman into a hug.

Both pulled apart at what sounded like the Doctor throwing himself against the door. “Let me out, you idiot girls!”

“Was that his plan? Trap it in a room with himself?” Nyssa asked.

“Seems so. Maybe he thinks he can fight it.”

“You have no idea who you’re messing with! Let me out, or I’ll kill you when I do get out!”

Both grimaced at the verbal abuse from their friend’s voice.

“I’m not making jokes! I will kill you both!”

“What do we do?” Nyssa bit her lip as the Doctor again tried to ram the door.

“I guess… sit here and wait it out?”

With nothing else they could do, the pair did just that, sliding down the opposite wall and keeping an eye on the locked door. Hoping the Doctor could fight whatever it was.


	16. Shoot the Hostage- Captain Yates, Liz Shaw

“Bring them here.”

“Wonder what she wants this time,” Mike said quietly. Liz simply grunted in response.

“She said get in there.” The two crewmembers sent to get them shoved them forward into the main area of the taken-over warehouse.

The alien woman stood in the center of the space, her back to her two captives. She turned to look at them, keeping one hand on the video communications console.

“What do you want, Jaran?” Mike asked.

Jaran grinned. “Your superiors have received my communications device.”

“Oh good, going to ring them up, then?” Liz responded.

“Yes, they’re contacting me now. I need you present for this.” Jaran pressed a button on the console, and three faces appeared on the formerly blank screen. The Doctor, Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, and Sergeant Benton.

“Hello, is this thing working?” the Doctor asked.

Jaran nodded at the screen. “I am Jaran. I am speaking with the superiors at UNIT?”

“You are,” Alistair answered. “What is it you want?”

In answer, Jaran stepped aside, revealing Mike and Liz behind her.

After the initial surprised calls of their names from the three on the screen, Alistair said, “You’ve taken my people?”

“What else was I to do when I found them sneaking around here?”

“You’ve been treated well?” the Doctor asked the pair.

Mike and Liz nodded. Their hands weren’t even tied, but they had known trying to escape at any point so far was too much a risk.

The Doctor smiled slightly. “Then, Jaran, thank you for looking after them. If you’ll tell us-“

“I’m not giving them back to you,” Jaran cut off.

“Excuse me?” Alistair replied. “You will return them, unharmed.”

Jaran chuckled. “I have demands before I even consider doing that.”

“They’re your hostages?” Benton asked.

“Yes, in a word.”

Mike spoke up, “We’re alright, sir. Don’t worry about us.”

“We are,” Liz added.

Alistair nodded, then asked Jaran, “What are your demands?”

“All in good time. But first, I want you to know I am serious.” Jaran looked to her hostages. She gestured to her crew and pointed at Mike. “Hold him still.”

Mike and Liz didn’t have much chance to protest before she was pulled away and held back, and he was restrained with two guards holding his arms behind his back. 

“Tell us your terms!” Alistair demanded.

“Be patient,” Jaran responded. She went to Mike, and held his lower face in her hand.

Mike held her gaze, not expecting anything more than a light beating. He barely grunted when she backhanded him. Then she took one step back from him. Mike still kept her gaze, wondering if that was really all she would do. He didn’t see her pull something off her belt.

“No, don’t-“ Liz started.

Mike’s agonized cry sounded out a split-second after the loud bang. His eyes flew wide and his body froze at the intense pain.

Four people cried out his name. Mike’s looked down, seeing the alien gun in Jaran’s hand. He looked down his body, seeing the hole in his uniform at his lower ribcage, and the warm blood beginning to spread around it and leak out. It hurt a lot, the pain radiating out from the impact. His eyes unfocused, and he blinked to see properly.

Mike raised his head to the screen, his eyes locking with Benton’s. He barely noticed the crew letting go of his arms. He listed to one side.

Jaran turned the gun over in her hand, and used the butt end to strike Mike hard across the temple.

Mike spun as he fell, landing on his side facing away from the console. His hand curled around the wound. His vision blacked out for a second before his eyes closed and his body went slack.

“Let me go!” Liz shouted, struggling against the two holding onto her.

Jaran said to the three horrified people on the screen. “I’ll let you contemplate how serious I am,” she said before cutting off the communication.

“Captain? Captain Yates!” Liz called out. “Let me tend to him!”

Jaran gestured to her crew. “Allow her to care for him. I aimed for non-lethal, but an accidently dead hostage is no use to me.”

The second Liz was free, she rushed to Mike and dropped to her knees. “Captain Yates? Yates!” She gingerly turned him over onto his back. She checked his neck for a pulse, and let out a breath of relief that it was strong enough. His chest rose and fell with shallow quick breaths.

Liz pushed up the bloodied uniform jacket and shirt to get a good look at the wound. She hissed at the amount of blood heavily trickling from it. But the wound itself looked like a clean entry, from what she could see.

She pressed the shirt to the wound and leaned over the unconscious man. “Yates? Mike?”

A tiny high-pitched whine escaped from the parted lips.

“Mike, are you with me?” At the lack of answer, Liz pressed harder on the wound. “Are you still with me, Mike?”

Mike cried out a little louder. He tried to weakly push Liz’s hand away and turn over to protect himself.

Liz didn’t let him, holding him down by his shoulder with her free hand.

Mike’s eyes slowly opened, though they were glazed over. “Liz?”

“Yes, it’s me. It’s just me.”

Mike squirmed at the painful pressure on the wound. His hand again instinctively tried to push hers away.

“I know, I’m sorry,” Liz apologized. “But let’s see if we can’t stop the bleeding, alright?”

Mike clenched his jaw and nodded. “Know I’m… in good hands…” He focused on trying to breathe through the still intense pain.


	17. Dirty Secret- Captain Yates/Sergeant Benton

“You wanted to see us, sir?” Benton greeted as he and Mike entered the Brigadier’s office.

“Yes…” Alistair nodded. “Please, close the door.”

Mike did so, and glanced to Benton as they both noticed the dismal demeanor of their commanding officer. He also saw the way Alistair’s hand laid flat but tense on a closed folder on the desk.

“Captain Yates, Sergeant Benton… I’m afraid I have bad news.”

“Are we being transferred? To another branch of UNIT, or please don’t say back to the regular army,” Mike said.

“No, it’s not that. That would be bad for us all as well, but not…”

Mike and Benton glanced to each other again, wondering what could make Alistair so hesitant to say whatever it was.

“Then, sir, what is it?” Benton prompted.

Alistair continued to stall. “This doesn’t come from me, I hope you understand. But I… I suppose it’s best you get it from me. Someone who cares about you.”

Mike sat in the chair. “Brigadier, don’t keep us in suspense?”

Alistair cleared his throat. “Right, yes.” He swallowed heavily, still unable to say it. He opened the folder, turned it, and pushed it forward so the pair could clearly see the first page of the papers inside.

Mike read the first line, which began with his name and rank, and his eyes widened at the last word. “Discharged?” His heart felt like it had suddenly been squeezed. He looked up to Alistair in disbelief.

Alistair slowly nodded, and said, “Benton, you have one, as well.” He moved the first page aside to reveal the nearly-identical one underneath.

Benton felt as though he had been punched squarely in the chest. He sank down into the other empty chair. “Discharged? What… what for?”

Alistair breathed deeply. “Keep reading.”

Benton found the relevant section first, and winced loudly. “For confirmed homosexual activities.”

Mike’s eyes closed, and he let out a long breath. When he opened them, he asked, “I suppose it’s already too late to say we’re not?”

“I’m afraid so. They had evidence, and they sent it to the army offices.” He tapped the open folder.

Mike took the cue to move Benton’s discharge form to see what else was there. The ache in his chest worsened at the paperclipped collection of copied photos.

A couple were of them in uniform, easily identifying them as army. One showed them from the back, their hands together as they entered the building to Mike’s flat. The rest were out of uniform, showing them in compromising enough positions to at least be suspicious. But the final two… well that certainly cinched it.

They were in the carpark near a pub. It was dark, but they were well-enough lit by the streetlamp. They stood beside the open passenger door of Benton’s car, Mike’s hands holding one of Benton’s and he was kissing the other’s cheek. The second photo was the same location and framing, but Benton had turned his head for a full kiss.

“Someone’s been following us?” Benton asked.

“I’m afraid so,” Alistair responded. He quickly added, “They didn’t say who or why.”

“Doesn’t really matter,” Mike stated quietly. “Not with what they got on us.”

The three of them were silent for a minute, each one coming to the understanding exactly what this meant.

Alistair said, “So that you know, it doesn’t matter to me who you… who you’re with. Not as long as you do your duties to the best of your ability. Which both of you have done spectacularly. I’m not upset you kept it secret from me. You had to.”

Benton brought his fingers to his mouth. “Sir, if you don’t mind me asking, what would you have done if only you had found out?”

“Nothing.”

Both men flinched in slight surprise. Mike echoed, “Nothing?”

Alistair nodded. “You two are exemplary soldiers, and I’m so proud to have you under my command. As for this… issue, I already have to cover for the Doctor’s status and eccentricities. What’s one more?”

Benton managed a tiny half-smile, though tears still pricked at his eyes. “Thank you, sir.”

“As it is now, I’m sorry to say I’m losing my best to something I don’t think matters.” Alistair looked both of them in the eye in turn. “I’m sorry.”

“Not your fault,” Mike responded, unable to stop the tremor in his voice.

“All I can do now is wish you the best.” Alistair stood, and saluted. “Captain Yates. Sergeant Benton.”

The couple stood and saluted. “Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart.”

Alistair lowered his hand. He sighed deeply. “You do need to sign those forms. I’ll let you stay here for as long as you need after. And then…”

“And then we’ll leave,” Mike finished. “We’ll say goodbye to the Doctor and Jo. If they ask the reason we’re leaving, could you tell them? We trust them.”

Alistair nodded. “I hope to see you again. Good luck.” He left his office, closing the door behind him.

Mike sank back down to his chair, put his elbows on the desk, and buried his face in his hands. Benton kneeled next to him, and wrapped his arms around him.

“I’m sorry, John.”

“Oh, Mike… not your fault.” Benton closed his eyes and nuzzled his nose to the other man’s cheek. “We… we knew the risks.”

“I-I know. But we… weren’t we careful?”

“We were. Must’ve been, to last this long.”

Mike shook his head, and leaned fully into Benton’s hold.

A little while later, when their quiet tears had dried, the pair signed their discharge forms. Mike also left a note for Alistair- his phone number and address, with ‘you’ll find us both here.’

********

“Ah, Captain, Sergeant, what can we do for you?”

“Doctor, Jo,” Mike tried to smile, but it didn’t quite make it.

Jo caught onto their depressed air more quickly than the Doctor. “What’s the matter? Did something happen?” she asked.

Mike and Benton glanced to each other for a second. Benton answered, “We’re… we’re saying goodbye.”

“You’re what?” The Doctor put down the tool in his hand to stride over to them, Jo on his heels. “Goodbye?”

“Yes, we’re leaving,” Mike affirmed. Perhaps saying goodbye in person was a mistake, if the emotional heaviness in his chest was any indication. He blinked back another round of coming tears.

“Have you been transferred somewhere else?” asked Jo.

Benton shook his head.

“Leaving UNIT completely?”

“The army altogether,” Mike clarified.

“What? Why?” Jo grabbed Mike’s wrist.

“We can’t really say,” Mike responded. Nothing was stopping them from telling their friends themselves, except the emotional weight of it all. It wasn’t a conversation they could bear to have at this moment.

“It’s not your choice, is it?” the Doctor said.

Mike and Benton didn’t have to verbally answer. Mike cleared his throat. “Anyway, uh…” He smiled, genuinely. “It’s been an honour, serving with you two.” He grunted as Jo yanked him into a tight hug.

“Why do you have to go?” she asked, on the verge of tears.

“Oh, Miss Grant… Jo…” Benton moved in to hug her from behind.

“They’re not at liberty to say, my dear,” the Doctor reminded.

It took a while for Jo to let them go, and the pair shook the Doctor’s hand.

“You’ve got my number, Jo, if you want to reach us. Just give it a couple days, at least. Need to figure out what’s to happen next.”

Jo nodded her head, the motion accompanied by a sniffle. She wiped at her eyes with her sleeve.

“I wish you the best fortune, Captain, Sergeant,” the Doctor said. “We will see you again.”

Mike nodded, that lump rising again in his throat and preventing him from speaking. Benton managed a tiny, “Thank you.” With nothing else to be said, they turned and walked from the lab.

********

Captain Yates and Sergeant Benton. Yates and Benton… The two had quickly become a pair in Alistair’s mind. He always knew he could rely on them, both as a pair and as individuals. But what a perfect team they made.

So, in a way, this secret of theirs made perfect sense. Perhaps it had even helped them become the indispensable pair he so depended on.

And now…

Alistair flinched at the knock to his closed door. “Come in.” He slumped slightly as the Doctor came in and closed the door, the distraught expression clear on his face.

“What’s this about Yates and Benton leaving?” the Timelord demanded, taking a seat.

Alistair leaned back in his chair. “Before you go off, please understand this wasn’t my choice.”

“It wasn’t theirs, either.”

“The orders came from above me.”

“Whatever for?”

Alistair tapped the closed folder in front of him, and pushed it towards the Doctor. He sighed. “They trust you, you and Miss Grant, to know the real reason. They’re romantic partners.”

“Are they really?” The Doctor flicked through the photos. “They make a handsome couple, but what does that-“

“Being homosexual in the British military is illegal.”

The Doctor’s gaze shot up to the other man. “Illegal? Of all the stupid, narrow-minded-“

Alistair raised his hand to cut the Doctor’s tirade short. “I don’t agree with it myself.” He shook his head and fully leaned back, staring at the wall behind the Timelord.

“Did you argue it?”

“Of course I did. I wasn’t going to lose them without…” Alistair took a deep breath. “When I received that folder this morning, the first thing I did was call them. I tried appealing to everything I could think of. I told them how exemplary Yates and Benton are in their service, how essential they are. I asked if it was really within our purview, since UNIT is ultimately answerable to Geneva. And then I was on the phone with Geneva.”

“Didn’t get anywhere with them, I assume.”

Alistair shook his head. “They sympathized, but at the end of the day, we are part of the British military, so…”

“You’re answerable to their laws.”

“Exactly.”

The Doctor slumped back with a heavy breath.

“Then I got on the phone with our office again. The best I could do, with the backing of Geneva, was get Yates and Benton a general discharge. Better than the original.”

“General discharge? As opposed to…?”

“Dishonourable discharge.”

“Dishonourable?” The Doctor nearly slammed his hands on the desk in anger. “For this?”

“Whether we like it or not, they have committed a crime, with enough evidence to prove it.”

The Doctor looked down at the photos. “Who did this?”

“I don’t know who or why, but we’re here now because of it.”

“I can’t believe they’d call Yates and Benton dishonourable. That’s… that’s despicable. After everything they’ve done and risked to protect Earth.”

“It took some convincing to get it changed to a general one.” Alistair snorted. “Must’ve sounded like I was begging, before they gave in.”

“It’s unfair and unjust.”

“Believe me, Doctor, I wish I could’ve not done this.” Alistair cleared his throat to prevent from becoming choked up. “I’ve just lost my two best men to something I don’t think should matter.”

The Timelord sighed deeply. “Will anything else happen to them? Arrested and the like?”

Alistair shook his head. “It’s allowed in the civilian world. There shouldn’t be any more… repercussions for them.”

“That’s a relief. A mercy for them. What will you tell everyone else?”

“Discharged due to medical reasons. That should work.”

The Doctor nodded. He put the folder back in order, and stared at the signatures on the bottom of the discharge forms. “I’m sorry, Mike, Benton.” He didn’t close the folder as he slid it back to Alistair.

Alistair’s hands noticeably shook as he straightened the pages. “I’m sorry, too.”

********

Benton nuzzled his cheek against Mike’s chest as they settled in the bed together, still half-dressed in their uniforms. Mike put his arm around the other’s shoulders, and his hand absentmindedly went through Benton’s hair. This hurt, it hurt so damn much.

If only they had been more careful. If only they had noticed someone following them. If only… if only…

Both were silent for a long time, until Mike’s breath came out as a hitched sob. Benton’s came out quieter as he moved up to look down at his partner.

“Hey, love, we’ll be alright,” he encouraged.

“I know,” Mike whispered. He pushed himself up enough to press his forehead to Benton’s. “At least we’re still together.”

“Yeah, we not going to prison or anything. We’ll figure it out.”

Mike nodded, and kissed Benton. It was needy and desperate.

When the pair came down from that, and resettled lying together, Benton asked, “Do you think… do you think they’ll be alright without us?”

Mike snorted a tiny bit at the thought. “Well, they’ll have to be.”


	18. Panic Attacks- Liz Shaw

“Doctor!” Liz bolted upright with a yell. She sucked in several quick panicked breaths. “Doctor!”

Liz buried her face in her hands, and only then realized where she was. In her bed, safe and sound from the things of her nightmares. She heavily swallowed as she slowly came back to her senses. “It’s alright. There’s nothing here. Nothing to be afraid of…”

She shivered, then flinched at the loud gust of wind outside. “Calm down,” she told herself.

This wasn’t the first time she had woken up yelling out for the Doctor. And these things didn’t only come at night in her nightmares. These… she hated using the word, but these panic attacks had struck her at random times. But it was now almost three months after she’d left UNIT. Her life was normal again. Doing research at Cambridge and such. There was no need to be afraid of aliens and monsters anymore.

Liz laid back down and closed her eyes to get back to sleep. But it wouldn’t come. She gave up a few minutes later when the panic began to rise in her again. She quickly pushed her blanket off her legs and got up. She went to the kitchen for a glass of water. It would help. At least, she hoped so.

“It’s fine, everything’s fine,” she repeatedly assured herself between sips. Despite that, her hand on the table still trembled. She put down the glass before that hand could start doing it, too. “Stop it. There’s nothing here to be afraid of.”

But maybe that was it, now that she knew of all these things she hadn’t before. It was difficult not to be afraid, now that she had experienced these things. There were things to be afraid of.

“No, there isn’t,” Liz continued to fight against that anxiety. “Everyone at UNIT takes care of it.” She swallowed heavily at another thought. “And if something comes after me, I have experience, too. I can… I can…”

She shook her head and buried her head in her arms on the table. “Calm down… calm down… It’s all fine…”

Liz could only sit there and try to relax, her body shivering and heart beating quickly. Not for the first time during and after one of these panic attacks, she cursed the man who had forced her into UNIT and exposed her to the fears and dangers of it all.

That wasn’t fair, she knew. And she had chosen to stay awhile of her own accord. But if Alistair hadn’t, she would be ignorant of it, free of the panic that kept popping up from it.

For a long moment, Liz thought about him and the Doctor. Maybe… They had both told her to call them if she ever needed anything from them. Comfort certainly counted within that, right? Someone to tell her she was alright, that there was nothing for her to be afraid of in this moment. Who else could possibly understand more?

She considered calling Alistair, and decided he wasn’t really one you went to for that. The Doctor would be a better choice.

“You don’t need that,” she argued. “You can’t ring them up crying over nothing. Especially not at this time of night. You’ll be fine without them. Just… relax.”

Liz drank the rest of the water, and returned to her bed. She could ride this out on her own, like she had before. No matter how long it took, she would be fine in the end.


	19. Survivor’s Guilt- First Doctor, Steven Taylor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Relates to "The Daleks' Masterplan"

“Steven, my boy?”

Steven continued staring straight ahead as he sat at the small table, completely ignoring the food in front of him.

“Steven?” the Doctor prompted again.

But all Steven could hear was Sara Kingdom’s terrified and agonized screams as she rapidly aged to death. And then… the sound of the wind as they stared at her skeleton and remaining ashes.

It had been nearly a week since then. The Tardis had thankfully brought them somewhere peaceful after all that. But in Steven’s mind, those events had only happened yesterday.

The Doctor sighed and reached across the table to place his hand on the young man’s.

That snapped him out of it enough to refocus his eyes and glance around. He forgot where they were for a few seconds. A nice little outdoor restaurant on a beautiful beach. He looked to the Doctor. “Sorry, Doc, I was…”

The Doctor let the nickname slide, and slightly tightened his hand around Steven’s. “I know.”

“It’s not fair… not right, you know? For her to… to die, and especially like that…”

The Doctor nodded slowly. “I deeply regret it, as well.” He blew out a breath. “I should’ve better communicated the danger of not staying in the Tardis while I used the Time Destructor.”

“Maybe…” Steven shook his head, and looked out at the beach. After a moment, he withdrew his hand from under the Doctor’s and gave up all attempts to eat his meal. He stood up and walked out onto the sand, towards the ocean.

The Doctor slowly exhaled a long breath, and followed him.

Steven stopped when the incoming waves lapped around his shoes. He barely felt the water seep in over the sides. “Why her? Why only her? I wasn’t far behind her.”

“It doesn’t do to think like that, my boy. It simply… it simply happened that way.”

“She got caught in the field, and I didn’t.” Steven snorted. “That simple, huh?” He kept staring out at the water, the sun low enough in the sky to not blind him with the reflections. “It’s not fair… not fair that I should live and she doesn’t.”

“Perhaps not.” The Doctor stepped to stand directly beside his friend. “It was unnecessary and brutal.” He raised his hand up to Steven’s shoulder, but stopped halfway and let it drop down again. “I do miss her.”

Steven grunted in response, not wanting to speak. He could feel that now-too-familiar lump forming in his throat.

The Doctor waited a long moment. “Steven, as horrible as Sara’s death was… I’m relieved it was only her we lost.”

Steven turned to the other man, his brow furrowed in question.

This time, the Doctor committed to gently grabbing Steven’s forearm. “If I had also lost you…”

Steven nodded, and swiftly wrapped the Doctor in a tight embrace.

He had survived, and Sara hadn’t. It hurt, because it very easily could’ve been both of them. If Steven had been faster going after her, if the Time Destructor field had been larger…

But in the end, Steven had lived, and watched in horror as Sara didn’t. Whatever the reason for it, he was alive, and he needed to continue on living. As for this survivor’s guilt? Well, he knew it would take time to move on from it, but today… today he made the first step. 


	20. Field Medicine- Ben Jackson/Polly Wright, Jamie McCrimmon

“Jamie!” Ben shouted as the other young man tumbled down past him. His hand reached out for Jamie, but his fingers only managed to graze his boots before he was out of reach.

He didn’t have time to think of that before Polly followed after Jamie, also rolling down out of control. He managed to catch her sleeve for a brief second. “Polly!”

Ben tightened his arm around his precarious hold on the tree he had by sheer luck managed to grab as he had fallen down this crevasse. He could only helplessly watch as they kept falling.

He screamed out their names again, in fear.

Finally, Jamie and Polly reached the bottom far below, and from his vantage point, Ben couldn’t see if they were moving. “Polly! Jamie! Answer me!” He carefully pushed himself out a little more to see down better, and bit his lip at the lack of verbal response or physical movement from them.

He looked around, searching for a safer way to continue his descent. He looked back and up. There was certainly no way to get back up to the top again, and he wasn’t going to abandon the other two.

“Down we go,” he muttered. Hesitantly, he let go of the thin tree trunk, and angled his body to slide down to another.

Using this slow and careful method, he finally got to the bottom. He didn’t spare a second, going straight from a slide to a run to Polly and Jamie. He fell to his knees beside them. Polly and Jamie had rolled to a stop nearly on top of each other.

Ben tentatively rolled Polly over onto her back. He grimaced at the large bleeding cut across her cheek, and the way her wrist was bent. He checked on Jamie, who had a very large gash down one shin.

Ben took off his jumper and tightly tied it around Jamie’s leg, that injury bleeding worse than Polly’s. Then he took the knife from its sheath in Jamie’s boot and returned to the woman. “Polly?” He let out a breath of relief as she groaned and stirred.

Ben cut off one of his shirt sleeves and pressed it to the cut on Polly’s face. She hissed at that, and raised her arm up to swat his hand away. “Come on, girl, I’m here.”

“Ben?” Polly opened her eyes, and gingerly pushed herself up, crying out as she first put weight on her injured wrist. Ben helped her until she was sitting.

“Stay still a moment,” he said, again pressing the fabric to her cheek. “Quite a fall you took. Scared me, you know.”

Polly as quiet as Ben tended to her face. He smiled at her. “There, bleeding’s stopped. Now for that wrist.” But he didn’t get straight to it, instead putting his hand on the back of her head and moving in close. He pressed a kiss to her forehead and simply took a moment to appreciate she was alive and not too badly hurt after a fall like that.

“I’ll be alright, Ben,” Polly breathed. “Especially with you here patching me up.” She looked over to Jamie as he began to groan and stir. “Jamie?”

“Oh… that hurts…” Jamie turned onto his side, one arm around his middle.

“Just sit there a moment, and I’ll get to you.” Ben focused on what to do about Polly’s wrist.

He spotted some small branches nearby, and picked two. He apologized, “This’ll hurt, sorry,” before carefully straightening her wrist and placing it flat on the ground. He positioned the two branches on both sides and cut a strip from his trouser leg to tie everything together. “Think that’ll do?”

“Best we got,” Polly nodded.

“Alright, Jamie, you turn.”

“Why’re your clothes around my leg?”

In answer, Ben untied his jumper for a moment to let Jamie see.

Jamie hissed, “Ah, I see.”

Ben couldn’t help but tease, “What you get for not wearing proper trousers.”

Jamie snorted and lightly pushed Ben, but groaned at the pain that brought in his midsection.

“Where exactly?”

Jamie’s hand hovered over his lower ribcage.

Ben frowned. “Don’t think I can do anything about that. Just be careful. Your leg, though…” He tightened the makeshift bandage and tourniquet, and patted Jamie’s hand. “Stopped the bleeding, looks like.”

“What do we do now?” Polly asked.

“We’re not getting back up,” Ben answered, adjusting his jumper a little more to make sure it would stay on when Jamie stood up.

“Keep going on, or stay down here and hope for help?” Jamie said.

“Going on, I think.” Ben stood, and helped Jamie up. Polly pushed herself up. “Forward.”


	21. Hypothermia- Fourth Doctor/Sarah Jane Smith

“Sarah?”

The Doctor looked up from the vehicle crash debris to the woman when she didn’t respond. “Sarah?”

“Hm?” Sarah responded, her mouth barely opening.

The Doctor rose from his crouch. “Are you alright?” His brow furrowed as he noticed her shivering.

“R-rather cold out… out here…” Sarah said, seeming confused. “When did… did th-that happen?”

The Doctor hadn’t noticed a drop in temperature at all, especially not while he was investigating this intriguing mystery. But now that she mentioned it…

“Walk around a bit. Try to keep warm.”

Sarah nodded. She took a few steps, stumbling and uncoordinated.

The Doctor rushed to her side and put his hands on her shoulders. “Are you alright?”

“V-very cold…”

The Doctor pressed his hand to her neck to feel her pulse. Slower than it should be. Her breathing was also slower. That with her other symptoms… “You may have hypothermia.”

“Oh,” was all Sarah could say.

“Come on, we’ll get back to town. Get you warmed up.”

Sarah slowly blinked. “But… you need to look for c-clues. Wh-why we’re out here…”

“You’re more important.” The Doctor stripped off his jacket, and helped Sarah into it. His concern only grew he couldn’t see her shivering more, knowing that was not a good sign.

She verbally protested, “Y-you need it. C-can’t get c-cold, too.” But she didn’t try to push him away. Perhaps she was too weak for that.

“Nonsense, I’ll be fine.” He held her against his side, wishing they had driven here instead of walked. He tried not to let her feel that the coldness was starting to seep through his clothes now, too.

They took several steps. Sarah certainly would’ve fallen over if not for the Timelord’s support. “D-Doctor…?”

The Doctor stopped walking, and with one hand, quickly unwound the scarf from around his neck. “Stay still a moment,” he instructed.

Sarah slowly nodded, eyes unfocused and blinking slowly.

The Doctor started at Sarah’s legs, wrapping the scarf around them, then up her body. Her brow furrowed when he reached her chest, and she looked down. “What…?”

“Keeping you warm. It’s a bit of a trek back to town.”

“Oh… okay…” Sarah suddenly giggled. “Do I need to be… be a mummy?”

The Doctor chuckled. “I suppose you do.” He trapped her arms against her sides, and she did weakly try to fight that. “Almost done,” he assured.

He wrapped the end loosely around her neck. Not a moment too soon, because Sarah’s eyes closed, and she fell back. He easily caught her and lifted her in his arms. “Are you still with me?”

Sarah manage a hum in answer.

“That’ll do.” He settled her against his chest, and he felt her cold fingers weakly grab at his shirt. He couldn’t stop his own tiny shiver as the fingertips slipped through to his skin. “I’m here, Sarah,” he tenderly stated.

“Y-yeah…?”

“Yes.” The Doctor spared the second to press a kiss into her hair. Then, with his partner bundled as warmly as he could get her to be in his arms, he hurried back to town. To safety.


	22. Withdrawal- Eighth Doctor

A padded cell. The Doctor raised his head to glance around the padded cell he’d been thrown into. Something landed on his back and over his head. He pulled it off, and pressed his jacket against his face. He groaned into it.

It took him a few minutes to get the will to push himself up into a sitting position. He knew his mind wasn’t quite right, knew he looked far from his best. He took several deep breaths, trying to get his mind in order.

At least he was no longer strapped to that bed, being injected with all sorts of harmful addictive drugs. He’s been there for days, probably a week. He shuddered and unconsciously rubbed at one of the injection sites on his bicep.

The Doctor crawled over to the thin mattress on the floor in a corner. He laid on his back, and spread his jacket over himself. Then he simply stared up at the ceiling.

They’d asked him a load of questions when they had captured him. Questions he didn’t have answers to. Pumping him full of drugs had to be an interrogation method, or maybe a straight-up torture method. Whatever the intent, it certainly didn’t magically put the answers into his head.

He tried to sleep, but his body seemed to be too stimulated by the drugs in his system.

He lost track of time, so unlike him. Another sign the drugs had affected his mind far more than he was comfortable with.

********

Someone opened a slot next to the door, and pushed a plate of food and bottle of water in. The Doctor stared at it for a while, debating if it was worth the effort of getting up and eating. He decided he wasn’t hungry anyway.

He turned over onto his side, facing the wall. His body had begun to ache not long ago. Not enough to be painful, but now… now it was starting to hurt, just about everywhere. He tossed and turned, trying to breathe himself into relaxing.

He started shivering violently. He rubbed at his arms. Then he sat up against the wall, hugging his knees tightly.

Tears leaked from his eyes, and he wiped them away with the back of a hand. Was anyone going to come back for him? Give him more food? Not that he was hungry at all yet, but…

A fleeting thought made sense of this change in treatment. Perhaps this was the true intended torture. The withdrawal from the addictive drugs.

But that thought went as quickly as it had come. Replaced with a severe anxiety. Would they leave him here to die? What more did they want from him? He couldn’t give them answers to their questions. What else might they do to him?

A wave of nausea passed through him. That was enough motivation for him to go to the tray and drink from the bottle of water. Once sated, he returned to the corner and resumed hugging his knees to his chest. He couldn’t stop the shivering. The body aches got worse.

********

He opened his eyes some time later. He hadn’t gotten any sleep, but he had tried. He let out a little cry of surprise at the person who was crouched in front of him.

“Gr-Grace…?” It was her. He unfurled himself to reach out for her with a trembling hand. “Grace?”

She moved away slightly, just out of his reach.

“Grace? Say something?”

“Look at you,” she said. “Pathetic.”

“Help me, then.” The Doctor’s voice shook. “Please, help me. It hurts…” He vaguely gestured over his body and to his head with his hand. “Everywhere…”

Grace snorted and shook her head. “Pathetic. To think that you’re the one people count on.”

“I-I’m not at my… my best, I know. But you’re a d-doctor. Please, he-help me.” He barely stopped himself from asking her to get him those drugs that had been forced into him. That was what his body wanted, what it craved. But he still had just enough presence of mind to not beg for them.

Grace tilted her head at him, then moved forward enough to caress his cheek. The Doctor shuddered at the touch, and gave a loopy little smile.

Then, as suddenly as she had appeared, Grace vanished. “No!” the Doctor cried. “Come back! D-Don’t leave me alone!” He shouted wordlessly twice as tears trailed down his face. “Grace!”

********

The Doctor was absolutely miserable now. He felt cold, exhausted, nauseous, body aching severely. There was nothing he could do about it. He couldn’t get warm, couldn’t sleep, couldn’t drink enough water to make it go away, couldn’t will it to stop hurting. He’d seen Grace again. Then the Master. He’d even spent some time throwing himself against the padded wall in an attempt to knock himself out to gain some sort of relief.

Whatever those drugs were, they were truly wrecking him. He couldn’t believe it. Couldn’t believe how bad everything was. And he couldn’t do anything except suffer through it. If he was in the Tardis, he could’ve done this, but here, with nothing…

The next time the food slot opened, he rushed over to it. “Please…” he said to person on the other side. “Make it stop. I-I don’t care how.” He had no idea how long these terrible symptoms would last, or how long he’d been suffering through them. And by now, they’d eroded away at his mental state enough. “G-Give me more drugs, or… or something…”

But it all went ignored. The tray of food that was mostly untouched was taken out, a fresh one was pushed in, and the slot closed.

The Doctor slumped back against the wall next to the slot. His hands gripped tightly at his hair around his neck as his body trembled in pain and tears streamed down his face.


	23. Sleep Deprivation- Sarah Jane Smith

“No!”

Sarah’s eyes snapped open at the command and she cried out in pain the accompanying short electric shock to her body.

The guard roughly lifted her to her feet by her shirt collar and repeated the earlier command, “You do not sleep.”

“Got… got it,” Sarah responded quickly. She grunted as the man let her go and she dropped back to the floor.

How long had she been here, forced to go without sleep as punishment for whatever crime they thought her guilty of? It must’ve been a day, at least. Not that she hadn’t experienced sleepless nights before, but this-

Sarah cried out at another shock from the collar around her neck.

“From now on, every time, it will get worse.”

Sarah glared at the guard, and nodded. This was simple, really, she just had to stay awake until the Doctor came to rescue her. She snorted at the idea. “Yeah, simple,” she muttered.

********

Sarah screamed at the next electric shock that woke her. True to the guard’s word, it had been steadily getting worse.

How long had she been here? Two days, maybe? She’d lost track of an accurate sense of time. Impossible not to. She shivered as she tried to breathe deeply. How long was the Doctor going to take to find her? What she’d give for that tall man of white hair and colourful velvet to burst in through the door now.

Sarah’s eyelids fluttered closed. Her head hurt so badly. Her body was just so exhausted. Just go to sleep… just sleep…

Sarah’s breath was forced from her with a hard kick to her chest, doing a more than sufficient job of waking her again. Then the collar shocked her again, longer than the previous time.

She shuddered, her body curled into a ball in a vain attempt to make the pain stop. She sobbed when it finally did. “Please,” she said to the guard. “Please, let me sleep? Only a few hours?”

The guard didn’t verbally answer. Instead he activated the shock collar again.

Sarah scream came out hoarse. Her hands clutched at her arms, digging into the skin with the fingernails.

********

“Doctor!” The cry of her friend’s name came out with a sob as she was kicked awake yet again. How long had it been now? She couldn’t even estimate. She was just so damn exhausted, and hurt all over from the kicks and shocks.

Sarah blinked slowly as she looked up at the guard. For a second, she could swear he had the Doctor’s face. She slowly shook her head, and looked again. No, it was the Doctor. Face, hair, clothes, and all.

“Doctor? Oh thank… thank goodness you’re here…” Sarah moved to stand, but her limbs felt like heavy lead, and she slumped back down to the floor. She looked up at him again. “Doctor? Why aren’t you…?”

The Doctor stepped in close and crouched down. He tilted his head at her, and chuckled. “You’re hallucinating.”

The Doctor’s face changed to the one of her guard, and she yelped and shrank back.

“Your friend isn’t coming to save you. And you’ve got a good while left of punishment to serve.”

Sarah couldn’t stop the tears from flowing down her face, couldn’t stop the sobs escaping from her throat. All she could do was sit there, bury her face in her arms, and cry. From the exhaustion, pain, and creeping hopelessness.


	24. Sensory Deprivation- Susan Foreman

“Let me out!” Susan banged her fists on the seamless curved walls. “Let me out, please!”

She gave up after a moment, and turned to small the pitch-black room. She sighed and muttered, “What a strange sort of punishment.” Locking her in a small dark room… It was certainly something she could handle.

Then she sensed something happen, but wasn’t certain what. A change in the air, maybe? She couldn’t pinpoint why it suddenly unnerved her.

“Hello?” Then she squeaked in shock, though like with her question, she barely heard it. “Hello?” she said louder. Again, the sound barely registered. She shouted, and put her hand to her mouth when she could barely even hear that.

The floor suddenly dropped out from under her feet, and she yelped as she plunged into water. She quickly resurfaced, coughing and sputtering, reaching for the walls to steady herself. Her feet couldn’t touch the bottom, and she didn’t want to dive down to see how far it was. They didn’t mean to drown her, did they? She was still for several minutes, and when she didn’t feel the water level rising, ruled that out.

Part of the punishment was being in the water, in the dark, but why? What about the lack of sound?

“Let me out!” Susan shouted again. She winced, knowing she wouldn’t be able to get used to the disturbing way she couldn’t hear herself. She considered the possibility that she had gone mute, but banging on the wall and splashing the water produced no sound as well.

Very peculiar, but she could handle it. After searching for any way to escape, she soon got tired of treading water, and shifted to float on her back. There was no point in keeping her eyes open, so she closed them.

She did her best to relax, out of nothing else to do. But it didn’t take long for her senses to try to understand the void they were in. “Nothing to worry about,” she whispered. “Stay calm…”

Her heartsbeat steadily grew louder, and she could swear she could hear her body’s usually-silent functions. Unnerving, but nothing to worry about. Simply the senses trying to focus on something.

But those eventually gave way to something worse. Her developing telepathic abilities.

She’d been having trouble keeping them in check already, sensing things no one else, not even her grandfather, could. Those things sometimes becoming overwhelming for her to process.

But here, with all her other senses made useless, they kicked in, hard.

But there wasn’t anything nearby to sense, and that made it even worse, because they were looking for something, and amplifying the nothing.

“There’s nothing,” Susan sobbed, feeling the tears begin to sting her eyes. In a way, she was grateful, because it was something against her skin other than the water. Then it too slipped away.

“Nothing… nothing… Please, I need something…”

That something, anything, didn’t come. More tears trailed down her face as the nothingness overwhelmed her. “Let me out!” she uselessly yelled. “Please!”

The void of nothing screamed at her in her mind. It overrode her dulled senses, until it seemed to consume every fiber of her being.

“I can’t! Make it stop! There’s nothing! There’s nothing!”

But her screams didn’t reach any ears. All she could do was float in the empty void.

“Grandfather… please… Ian, Barbara…”


	25. Disorientation- Sixth Doctor

The Doctor’s body shivered as he awakened. He opened one eye, the one not pressed to the ground beneath his head, and only saw a vast expanse of sand under a half-dark horizon. His fingertips curled in slightly, the rough coarseness of the sand lightly scratching at them.

He had a thought to raise his head to try to get a better idea of where he was, but the almost-blinding headache dissuaded him. At least the sand wasn’t hot. He didn’t have to worry about his skin burning.

The headache faded away quickly enough, only to be replaced by an inexplicable sense of disorientation. He didn’t know where he was or how he had gotten here.

The Doctor finally raised his head enough to glance around. Nothing but featureless desert. He pushed himself to sit up, stopping halfway at the sudden wave of intense nausea. He did the rest of the motion more slowly.

He saw nothing, absolutely nothing he recognized. “Come on, Doctor,” he said, his words coming out slurred. He shook his head. “Come on, focus.”

He drew his legs up to rest his elbows on his knees. He tried taking some deep breaths, but they didn’t seem to work, and he gave up on that.

“Peri!” he called out. “Peri?”

No… that wasn’t right. Peri was gone now. Gone because of the Timelords’ interference in his life. Gone… “Peri?” His voice sounded so small.

He was alone now. Not a friend in the world.

“Doctor?”

The Doctor quickly turned, silently cursing the way his head spun at the motion, towards the voice. “Peri!” It had been her, calling out to him.

“Doctor.” The familiar and welcome voice seemed to fill the desert.

“Peri, where are you?” Then he suddenly shouted out wordlessly in frustration. “She’s not here. Get ahold of yourself. She’s gone.”

Why couldn’t he figure out where he was and how he had gotten here? What had happened to him? Maybe Peri had the answer… “Peri!”

This time, he slapped himself across the face to try to focus correctly. “She isn’t here! Focus!”

But, try as he did, he couldn’t focus on what had happened, and what to do now. The sky darkened around him, and all he could do was sit there, pulling his multi-coloured jacket around himself for some measure of comfort.


	26. Blindness- Ian Chesterton/Barbara Wright

Ian slowly came to his senses at the urgent tapping of his face and shaking of his shoulder.

“Ian? Come on, please?”

Ian’s eyes snapped open at Barbara’s voice. But all he could see was blackness. “Barbara?”

“Yes, Ian, it’s me.”

Ian blinked several times to try to see something. “How long have I been out? It’s night. Pitch-black out here.” He heard Barbara’s wince. “What?”

“It’s not night yet. Getting there, but not yet.”

Ian pushed himself to sit up. Barbara had to move to stop them from knocking heads. “You can’t mean I’ve gone blind.”

Barbara nervously swallowed. “You… did you look back at the town when that huge flash went off?”

Ian squeezed his eyes shut. He had, and nodded in answer.

“I saw it in front of us as we ran, but you… you looked back?”

“I did, to see what it was. Must also explain this terrible headache.” Ian sighed deeply. “Now what?”

“Keep moving?”

“Yes, yes… I suppose that’s the best course of action.”

But the pair stayed put for a couple minutes. Then Barbara hugged the man. “Oh, Ian, I’m sorry. I don’t know what to do about your sight.”

Ian patted her back. “It’s alright. At least, I think so, for the moment anyway.” When Barbara pulled back, he continued, “Keep moving, find the Doctor and Susan, hopefully fix my eyes. Sound like a plan?”

“As good as any.”

Ian put on a brave face as they stood and got started, Barbara holding his arm to guide him through the forest. But, after tripping over what must’ve been the tenth large tree root and who-knew-how-many other things in the way, Ian quickly got frustrated.

“Hold on a moment,” he said. They sat on the ground, and Ian blew out a hard breath. He rubbed his hand over his face, and muttered to himself, “Stupid, stupid, stupid…”

“Don’t say that.” Barbara place a hand on his knee.

“If I hadn’t looked back-“

“I know. But don’t beat yourself up over it? We’ll… we’ll manage, like we always do.”

“I’m sorry, it’s just…”

Barbara looped her arm through Ian’s and leaned her head against his shoulder.

“What if this is permanent? Then what?”

“We don’t know that, Ian. I don’t see much point in thinking that until someone can tell us that’s the case.”

Ian leaned his head against hers. “You’re right.” He let out another hard exhale of frustration. “Difficult not to think about how this might affect us if it is permanent.”

Barbara let go of him to kneel in front of him. She gently took his face in her hands, and leaned in for a soft kiss. Ian’s hand came up to caress her cheek.

“Focus on me,” Barbara whispered as she pulled away slightly. I am your navigator. I will lead you.”

Ian smiled softly as the words. Ones that had held significant meaning for them not long ago, when he thought he had lost her, and in turn felt so very lost without her. “You are my navigator.”

“Yes, for as long as you need me to be.”

He wished he could see her. That beautiful face and dark eyes. His heartbeat quickened at the thought of never seeing it again.

Barbara saw the panic in his expression, and repeated, “I am your navigator, Ian. Focus on me, here and now. Don’t think about what could happen.”

Ian took several deep breaths to calm himself. Then he half-smiled at her. “Alright, my navigator. Lead me?”

Barbara nodded to herself, then stood, pulling him up by the hand with her.

They would manage, like they always did, no matter the circumstances, no matter the odds against them.


	27. Extreme Weather- Fourth Doctor, Sergeant Benton

“I don’t like the look of those clouds, Doctor,” Benton said as he continued driving the UNIT jeep across the field.

The Doctor sat up in his seat to look out the windshield. Then he rolled down his window to get a better look. “You’re right. Far darker than they should be.” He rolled the window back up.

“Came from nowhere, too.” Benton furrowed his brow at the almost-black clouds. “Hold on, that’s lightning in there.”

“Not a surprise with how dark they are.”

“I don’t like it, Doctor.”

The Timelord hummed. “Neither do I.”

Barely a few seconds later, the jeep slammed to an almost stop, sending both men forward. Benton barely got his hands in position to prevent himself being knocked out by the steering wheel.

“Powerful stormfront,” the Doctor remarked, rubbing at a spot above his eyebrow. A smear of blood came off on his fingers.

Benton steered to turn, but another blast of wind nearly tipped the vehicle over. As soon as the wheels were again on the ground, Benton tried to drive in a straight line to prevent tipping again.

Torrential rain pelted the jeep, quickly reducing visibility. At least that didn’t particularly matter in a big empty field.

The next time a powerful wind hit them, the pair yelped as the jeep teetered on its two side wheels. The Doctor tried to throw himself onto Benton’s side to get them back on the ground, but the effort came too late.

The vehicle crashed on its side, cracking the Doctor’s window against the ground. Benton took a moment to breathe, watching the rain beat down on his window. He flinched at the bright flash and quickly accompanying crack of thunder.

Benton looked down to check on the Doctor, who nodded at him. Then both men scrambled to hold onto something again as the wind flipped the jeep onto it’s top. They barely had time to get orientated with being upside-down before several large rocks thrown by the wind smashed through Benton’s window. One caught Benton on the face.

“Options?” Benton asked through the blood welling in his mouth.

“We can chance staying in here.” The Doctor had to shout to be heard over the wind whipping through the jeep. “But upside-down and structurally compromised isn’t the best idea with the coming lightning. But without somewhere safe to go…”

“Nothing out there for shelter,” Benton responded. He grunted as another rock struck his shoulder. Then he remembered they’d passed by a forest not long before. “Would the trees be safe enough?”

“Less likely to get hit.”

“If we can get there in time.”

The Doctor looked out the cracked windshield at the almost-constant lightning and listening to the thunder. “If we’re going to run for it, it has to be now.”

“If you think it’s the better idea,” Benton agreed.

“Right then, let’s get out of here.”

They scrambled to get out of their seatbelts. The doorframes were too crushed on the top to let the doors open, so Benton kicked the rest of the glass from his window. He shimmied out, the back of his jacket catching some of the remaining shards.

Benton stood, and had to grab the jeep for support against the torrential wind. He glanced around to find the forest while he waited for the Doctor to crawl out.

Then the pair ran for their lives, hoping to beat the lightning to the relative safety of the forest. It was tough going, the wind continually trying to blow them off their feet.

“Faster, Benton, faster. I don’t want to tell Mike terrible news today.” The Timelord’s scarf streamed out behind and whipped around him.

“I don’t want to tell Sarah any, either.”

They didn’t bother to look back, knowing every second was precious in this race. The air around them felt charged, like any lightning bolt that got too close would set it ablaze.

The Doctor slipped on the wet grass, and Benton picked him up. The Doctor returned the favour a moment later.

They didn’t stop running when they finally reached the treeline, knowing they needed to be in the thick of it for the best chance of survival. Not a moment too soon, the pair almost feeling the lightning strike at their backs.

The Doctor grabbed Benton’s hand as they flitted between the trees, looking for anything better.

A couple minutes later, they found a ditch, and slid down into it. “Hunker down,” the Doctor said. “We’ll ride it out here.”

Benton nodded. They crouched down, their hair and clothes sodden from the unrelenting rain, hoping the unnatural storm wouldn’t reach them here.


	28. Mugged- First Doctor

The Doctor impatiently tapped his cane on the ground as he waited for Steven and Dodo. “Where are they?” The young pair should’ve met him here by now. They’d gone off to the bustling marketplace while he had done some business in the scientific sector of this city.

He was waiting near a restaurant between the two places for them. Perhaps they’d simply lost track of time. Yes, that must be it. Or perhaps they had gotten lost on the way. Not impossible, in an unfamiliar place.

The Doctor leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes.

Not long after, he sensed someone approaching him and opened his eyes. Not his young friends, but a trio of people, older than Steven and Dodo. “What can I do for you?” the Doctor asked politely.

“Good mark,” one said, not in response to the question.

There was very little warning as the trio jumped him, dragging him into the small empty side-street.

“What’s the meaning of this?” the Doctor demanded, unable to really defend himself once one of them kicked his cane away and wrenched his arms behind his back. “Let go of-“

One attacker clamped his hand over the Doctor’s mouth and loudly shushed him. Then he explained, “Man like you standing around alone? Easy mark.”

The third one’s hand went to the Doctor’s jacket and trousers, doing a quick pat-down.

“Hurry up!” the one holding the Doctor’s arms hissed.

“Where’s your wallet, then?”

The Doctor bit at the hand over his mouth, and when it withdrew, he asked, “Money you want, hm?” He cried out as the hand he had bitten smacked him hard across his face before it again covered his mouth.

The one physically searching him opened his jacket and found an inner pocket. “Hold on, what’s this?” She pulled out a folded set of papers, and growled in annoyance it wasn’t what she was looking for. She dropped them to the ground.

The Doctor threw his head back to try to catch the one behind him. The man grunted at the impact, but didn’t let go.

“Come on, he’s got to have something on him,” the one keeping the Doctor quiet said.

“I don’t think he really does,” the woman replied, still searching.

“Doctor?” called out a voice from nearby.

The Doctor bit the hand again, and managed to get out an “Over here!” before his mouth was covered again.

“Doctor!” Steven and Dodo rounded the corner and froze for a second at the scene.

“Get away from him!” Steven shouted.

The three muggers looked between Steven and Dodo, then to each other. They all made the decision in unison to let go of their intended victim and run the other way down the street. 

Dodo rushed to the Doctor first. “Are you alright?”

Steven followed more slowly, keeping an eye out in case the muggers decided to come back.

“I’ll be alright, my dear.” The Doctor rubbed his aching cheek. “Only a few rather unpleasant ruffians.”

Dodo moved back to let Steven check him over. She retrieved the cane from where it had slid along the street and held it. She picked up the set of folded papers from the scientific sector as well.

“You sure they didn’t hurt you?” Steven asked.

“Not enough to make a fuss over, dear boy.” The Doctor smiled to assure the young man.


	29. Emergency Room- Second Doctor, Jamie McCrimmon, Zoe Herriot

“Hospital?” Zoe asked the man who had stopped when she’d waved him down at the side of the road. They were close enough to her own time for her to expect the type of medical treatment her two seriously injured friends would get, even if they weren’t in the right country. France was fine. 

The man got out of his car to look over the Doctor and Jamie, who Zoe had dragged from the forest. “They look really bad, yeah.”

“Can you take us to a hospital? Please? I don’t have a way to call for an ambulance, and I don’t know if they can wait that long.”

The man took a breath, then nodded. A couple minutes later, the unconscious pair were in the backseat, and Zoe hopped into the passenger seat.

********

Zoe tried to stay calm as she was stopped from accompanying her friends past the emergency room waiting area. She was assured by the medical team they would be well taken care of. A the doors swung closed in front of her, she spotted Jamie sitting up and heard him call out in confusion.

“This way.” One of the receptionists led Zoe over to the chairs. “If you need any coffee or tea or food, vending machines are over there.”

“Thank you,” Zoe replied, clasping her hands in front of her out of not knowing what else to do with them. She stiffly sat, and stared at the door the Doctor and Jamie had been taken through.

At least she hadn’t been attacked, because if she had, she didn’t think any of them would’ve made it this far, much less survived.

********

“Doctor?” Jamie called out as he weakly pushed himself up, seeing the top of the familiar head in front of him. But he was moving backwards, and three people were around him, pushing him down a corridor.

“Calm down, we’re taking care of you,” one of the people said.

“Where-“

“Hospital. You’re badly hurt. You and your friend.”

“Doctor?” Jamie repeated.

“Yes, we’re taking care of you.”

“No not…” Jamie winced at a stab of pain in his chest. He didn’t think it worth the effort to clarify what he meant. Then he realized there wasn’t a third gurney. “Zoe? Where’s-“

“The girl who brought you in? She’s fine.”

Jamie’s eyelids fluttered closed. “Oh, good…” A firm hand on his shoulder made him lay back. “Doctor… what happened…”

********

“Jamie? Zoe?” the Doctor asked as he came slowly awakened. He found himself in a bed, with off-white walls all around. “Jamie?”

His hand slowly moved up to his bare chest, and stopped at the large square bandage in the center. He recalled the attack at the cottage in the forest, and shuddered. But how had they gotten to what seemed like a hospital?

Where were Jamie and Zoe? Another room, perhaps? Still being treated? He felt he could safely assume they were here as well. No one would’ve found only him.

He settled back against the pillows, taking deep breaths through the lingering pains in his body.


	30. Wound Reveal- Third Doctor, Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart

Alistair slammed himself back against the wall, the sound of gunshots accompanying the bullets whizzing past. The Doctor joined him a couple seconds later.

“May I suggest a tactical retreat, Brigadier?”

“Does seem to be our best choice,” Alistair agreed. The two of them were outnumbered and obviously outgunned. “Back to the jeep?”

The Doctor nodded, and the pair took another two seconds to catch their breaths before they continued their escape. Neither saw the spots of blood on the wall behind them as they left it.

They burst through a door and the Doctor smiled a little when they emerged outside. “Progress.”

“After that maze in there, yes.”

“Think we lost them?”

“Better keep running, in case not.”

They ran for a couple more minutes. Alistair skid to a stop when the Doctor unexpectedly heavily leaned sideways against a tree. “Doctor?”

“It’s nothing,” the Doctor pushed himself upright. “Keep moving.”

Alistair didn’t start running again, instead making certain the Timelord did first. The Doctor only took three steps before he stopped again, and reached out his hand to another tree for support.

Alistair stepped towards him. “Doctor? Are you injured?”

The Doctor blinked slowly. He gingerly opened his purple velvet jacket and looked down his body. His brow furrowed in slight confusion at the lack of blood or any other sign of damage on his front.

“Doctor…” Alistair saw the bit of crimson creeping around the side of the white frilled shirt. He rushed to him, placing a steadying hand on his shoulder. Alistair pulled the jacket further from the Doctor’s body to get a better look.

“I got hit, didn’t I,” the Doctor said, his voice sounding strained. 

Alistair sucked in a quick breath. There were two holes in the back of the jacket, the blood almost not visible in the dark colour. But the white shirt made it extremely clear. Both were low on the Doctor’s back, one close to the side, one close to the spine.

“Must not have… must not have felt it with the adrenaline,” the Doctor muttered.

“How much does it hurt?” Alistair lifted the shirt to get a better look. At least they knew the bullets hadn’t gone completely through the Doctor’s body.

The Doctor grimaced, and saw no point in pretending he was fine. “Getting worse by the moment.” He leaned more heavily against the tree.

“Do you think you can keep going?”

“Give me… a moment?”

Alistair pressed the ruined shirt and jacket against the wounds to help stop the bleeding.

“Alright, let’s go.”

But the Doctor only made ten staggering steps before he stopped again, this time needing to lean on Alistair to stay upright. Then he slowly began to sink down to the ground.

“Oh no you don’t.” Alistair firmly grabbed him around the chest. He managed to keep the other man upright enough to move around him. “I’m carrying you.”

“Wait, I can-“

Alistair ignored the protest, crouched down, and got the Doctor onto his shoulders. Not a moment too soon, because he felt his friend go limp. Alistair adjusted the weight on him, and headed towards where they had left the jeep.


	31. Whipped- Captain Yates/Sergeant Benton

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part of an upcoming chapter for my “Prisoners of War” fic

“Yeah, got it,” Mike said to the prison guard who had stopped him on his way back to the common areas and cells. He’d already been kept later than normal to get a talking to about his work production. He only wanted to find Benton, lock themselves in their assigned cell, and hopefully not be harassed in the process.

“I’m to take you to the main gathering area,” the guard informed. “All prisoners must go, no exceptions.”

Mike sighed, “Fine.” He didn’t bother trying to get out of it or anything. Besides, Benton would also be there, and they could go back to their cell together after whatever this mass gathering was for.

Mike made his way there, sort of following the guard, since he wasn’t familiar enough with the layout of this place yet. Not that he hoped to be here long enough to be.

Since he was late, Mike expected to come in in the middle of whatever announcements were happening. What he didn’t expect was the agonized yell. Was someone being punished?

But Mike recognized that voice, He pushed someone aside so he could clearly see the platform. His eyes widened, seeing Benton shirtless and on his knees, his arms out to his sides, the wrists secured to two posts by lengths of chain. “John!” The name came out in a panicked whisper.

Mike saw one of the guards on the platform raise an energy whip behind Benton, and he darted forward through the crowd. He didn’t see the next strike, but heard Benton’s long cry over the general ruckus of the gathered prisoners. Mike shouted out, “Stop this! Stop!”

When Mike got to the platform’s stairs, two guards grabbed him and stopped him. The lead disciplinary officer gestured to the guard punishing Benton to stop. He looked at Mike and tilted his head. “This prisoner is being punished for attempted escape.”

Mike clenched his teeth for a second. Benton did say he was going to try to look around his work area for possible ways out. “Stop, please.”

The Tarshife took steps towards Mike. He gestured to the guards holding him, and they let him go. “Give me a reason.” His red-furred pointed ears twitched in interest.

Mike approached him, trying to keep his gaze from Benton. Benton had raised his head to look at him. He gestured with his head to his partner. “He’s… he’s mine,” he answered quickly. It was the best he could think of. Though while ownership meant strength to the other prisoners, the guards might not be so respectful of it.

“Yours?” the disciplinary officer responded.

One of the guards behind Mike pulled out his small personal computer. A short moment later, he stated, “They were captured together, and are assigned to the same cell.”

“Ah, I see,” the disciplinarian responded.

Mike almost forgot they had an audience, until someone shouted out, “Get on with punishing him!” He tried to push them out of his mind. He did glance to Benton, seeing the way he was trying to not let the pain of the punishment so far show.

“I’m his superior officer,” Mike clarified. “As such, he is my responsibility.” He knew he was playing a dangerous game here, one that could easily lead to them both being hurt. But if there was a chance he could get Benton out of it, he would gladly do so, even if it meant taking his place.

“Your responsibility? But you are all our responsibility as our prisoners. And when one attempts escape, there are consequences.”

“He is mine!” Mike hissed.

The disciplinarian took a step to Mike before circling around him twice. Mike stood his ground, though he did hear the quiet, “Mike, don’t,” from Benton.

“You say he is your responsibility. Very well.” The disciplinarian went to the guard holding the whip, took it, and offered it to Mike.

“What? What do you mean by this?” Mike swallowed heavily.

“Then you will punish him.”

Mike stared at the weapon in horror. “No, I… I didn’t-“

“Either you will or we will. Those are the options.”

Mike couldn’t possibly, he couldn’t do this, hurt the man he loved. He flinched as the disciplinarian stepped in very close to whisper, just loud enough to be heard by himself and Benton, “It will be worse for him if we continue.”

Mike closed his eyes and shook his head. He’d meant to convince them to let him take Benton’s place, not this. Never this. How could he even make this choice?

“Mike…”

Mike looked to Benton, who gave a short nod and said very quietly, “Do it.” Mike stared at the offered whip for a several long seconds. He closed his eyes as he finally took it. 

“Very good. Now, no little love-taps, or we’ll make you start again until you do it correctly.”

Mike’s fist clenched tightly around the whip handle. He couldn’t really go through with this, could he? He looked at Benton’s face again, and his partner nodded shortly. This was the best way to continue on, Mike knew. But to do it, he still had to…

“Get to it,” the disciplinarian ordered.

Mike took a deep breath as he went around to stand behind Benton. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. There was some relief in seeing that his back only had a few welts and no blood, so the whip didn’t seem like it would break skin. He raised his hand once, and dropped it. Needing another moment to steel himself for this.

“Now,” he said quietly to give Benton some warning. Mike raised his hand and swung the whip down. Benton grunted at the strike.

“No, no,” the disciplinarian scolded. “Harder than that.”

Mike slumped and his hand tightened again. “Sorry,” he repeated. He saw Benton nod, and steeled his resolve again.

Mike brought the whip down again, a little harder this time. Obviously not with his full strength, but hopefully enough to be satisfactory. Benton cried out this time, loud and long. The sound wrenched at Mike’s heart.

The disciplinarian praised, “Good, now keep going until I tell you to stop.”

Mike’s hand holding the whip shook. He wouldn’t even get a set number to count to and make this easier for him?

“Keep going,” Benton whispered through clenched teeth.

Mike trembled as he raised the whip again. How many times could he bear to do this?

Benton let out an identical cry to the one before as the whip made contact. His hands in the cuffs fisted tightly to help ride out the pain.

Mike did it again, and again, trying to give Benton enough time to mentally recover between each strike, without earning any ire from the disciplinarian. But even with that consideration, Benton’s cries became louder and longer, the pain no doubt building up more and more.

For his part, Benton tried to keep it in as much as he could, knowing every cry that escaped from him made this harder for his partner. But really, there wasn’t any resistance he could put up. It hurt so intensely every time.

Each strike made the whip somehow feel heavier. Every cry and yelp from his partner made another tear fall from Mike’s eyes. It didn’t take long before he could barely see through them, and could barely breathe through the lump in his throat.

“You can stop now.”

Mike’s hand instantly dropped the whip and he rushed around to drop to his knees in front of Benton. He took Benton’s face in his hands and lifted it. Benton’s entire body was tense, and Mike whimpered through clenched teeth. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry…” He looked up to the guards. “It’s done! Let him down!” He returned his full attention to Benton, running his hands through the other’s hair and pressing their foreheads together.

“Everyone, return to your cells,” the disciplinarian commanded the other prisoners.

The guards unchained Benton’s wrists, and he fell into Mike’s arms. “M-Mike…?”

“I’m here, I’ve got you.” Mike held him close. ”Sorry… I love you… I love you….”

The disciplinarian crouched down beside them. “If this happens again, the consequences will be far worse. Now go.”

Mike put Benton’s arm over his shoulders and struggled to stand. He supported some of Benton’s weight, and nearly tripped down the short set of stairs off the platform. “I’ve got you…”


End file.
